Delicate Treasures
by Stardrops
Summary: Sirius has always been afraid of heartbreak, but it may be the last chance he has to tell Remus the truth. If he risks losing the friendship he cherished for so long, can he show Remus the true meaning and joy of love’s delicate treasures?
1. The Dream

Title: Delicate Treasures

Author: Stardrops

Genre: Romance

Rating: PG 13 + (For slash and occasional swearing, precautions only)

Disclaimer: As you've probably all guessed, no, I don't own Harry Potter or anything you recognize from J.K. Rowling's books, I simply use her ideas to create mild amusement for fanfiction addicts such as myself. Don't bother suing, you wont get anything worthwhile.

Chapter One: The Dream

Dusk was falling, and the light was dimming in the Potter's garden as the dark clouds indicating a storm began to float slowly towards their abode. James and Sirius were playing a game of Quidditch in the fading light, laughing and paying each other out frequently. Sirius had been staying at the Potter's house for the summer, as his own revolted him with his sadistic parents and mollycoddled, mindless git of a brother. 

James's parents never asked many questions about Sirius's home, but they often exchanged dark glances whenever the subject came up, and always offered Sirius the chance to stay whenever holidays arrived. Sirius was grateful for not having to return, and more grateful still for not having to explain the issues he had with his family. 

"Jeez, we better get inside," James said as the first of the lighter raindrops hit his head. 

Sirius nodded happily. The smells of Mrs Potter's cooking had been seeping through the kitchen window for some time, and Sirius's empty stomach was growling in anticipation for the delectable dinner he knew was coming. 

Landing softly on the ground, the pair dismounted their brooms and headed for the door. The rain began to fall slightly harder, and James noticed a little muddy patch on the ground from when his father had watered the garden earlier. He couldn't resist, and had to give Sirius a small but well placed shove.

Sirius slipped and fell, mud covering his upper body. He gasped and sat up. "You bastard!" he yelled playfully, and kicked the back of James's knee in, causing his friend's legs to buckle beneath him and crumple to the soggy ground. James giggled and picked up a handful of mud. Sirius looked slightly apprehensive. 

"What exactly are you intending to do with that?" he asked James uneasily. There was a glint in James's eye that he didn't like.

James's smile grew wider and he blinked playfully. "Why don't you find out first hand?"

Sirius's expression changed quickly to one of horror and he struggled to get up and run as far away as he could. "You wouldn't – Argh!" A handful of mud was slopped down his neck and slid down his shirt onto his stomach. The cold was a bit startling, and Sirius immediately retaliated. James copped a handful in his ear. Soon mud was flying, and the rain was falling so hard that they were soaked as well as grubby. The sound of Mrs Potter's voice came through the back door.

"You boys get in here this minute! You'll catch colds if you stay out there much longer! And don't you dare walk any further than the verandah, you'll muddy the floor. Honestly! I thought you two were supposed to have grown up!" There was a playful tone in her scolding, it was clear she was not at all chagrined. 

The voice of Mr Potter flowed in as well. "They're teenage boys, dear, they'll never grow up."

James and Sirius grinned at each other and waltzed in to the verandah. Mrs Potter tsked at them as she handed them towels to dry off momentarily, but they simply flashed their most innocent smiles her way. 

"Now you boys get upstairs and shower. No throwing soap suds at each other either!" 

James rolled his eyes. "Well, you're no fun."

Mrs Potter shoved him lightheartedly from behind. "Get going, you cheeky boy!" 

Sirius and James headed up the stairs, leaving a trail of muddy footprints in their wake. The sounds of a playfight came from the hallway before the boys parted to enter their separate bathrooms on opposite sides of the hall. 

As soon as they were showered and dried, they came downstairs to a hot, fragrant meal of roast beef, baked potatoes and vegetables. The aroma could have drawn the two from miles away.

"Wow, that smells awesome, Mrs P!" Sirius exclaimed as he sat down to eat. He and James soon had swimming pools of gravy on their plates. Within minutes, however, the meals had vanished and the boys were leaning back in their chairs contentedly. Mrs Potter shook her head in disbelief.

"Why do I bother spending so much time cooking, when I could make pasta in ten minutes and you'd waffle it down all the same?"

James got up and put his arms around his mother. "Because you love to spoil us."

She snorted. "Enjoy it while it lasts." Sirius grinned cheekily and took his plate to the sink.

                                                                                    *          *          *

Later that night, the boys were in James's room on the twin beds. Sirius was lying on his stomach, flipping through a book on Quidditch while James pondered ways to get Lily to fall at his feet this term.

"I feel like I've tried everything!" James moaned.

"You can't have," Sirius said absently. "She would have fallen into your arms long ago if you'd tried everything."

James glared at him. "Well that isn't exactly helpful. What else can I do?"

Sirius closed the book and looked thoughtfully at his friend. "You have to just act like yourself, mate. You start behaving like a downright moron whenever she's around, and that is not the biggest turn-on for a girl like Lily."

James looked offended. "What do you mean, I act like a moron?"

Sirius grinned mischievously. "More than usual, I mean."

James threw a pillow and a withering look his way. "So I change when I'm around her?" 

"Big time."

James rolled over onto his back. "Well. This lays some interesting facts into the light."

Sirius yawned. "Whatever, man. I'm dead." He flipped off the light on his bedside table and pulled the covers over him. James followed suit.

"Maybe if I………"

"James, I swear to god. Shut the hell up."

                                                                                    *          *          *

All was quiet in the James's room, only interrupted by the occasional little snore from James. Sirius, however, was silently lost in the pleasures of sleep. He was lost in the waves of a beautiful dream, oblivious to the world outside as he smiled in his sleep.

                                                                                    *          *          *

_He was sitting on a beautiful, deserted beach with his friend, Remus Lupin. It was just the two of them in the fading light, with the shadows of palm trees creeping slowly across the sand as the reflections of the sunlight on the water lowered on the horizon until all that was left was a golden hued sunset. _

_Sirius looked at Remus, who was smiling at the magnificent view in front of them. Sirius admired the innocent expression that was the face of one of his best friends. The beautifully soulful brown eyes that showed every emotion he ever felt were shining happily as he relaxed on the sand. Sirius turned back to look at the sparkling sea, watching the reflections break slightly in the gently rippling water._

_Remus reached for Sirius's hand and held it tightly in his own, their fingers interlaced. Sirius felt a strange warmth flow through his heart, and rested his head on Remus's shoulder. He felt Remus's hand come up to stroke his face gently and he smiled. _

_Everything in the world felt right at the moment in time, and Sirius was perfectly content to stay that way with Remus forever and ever._

_                                                                                    *          *          *_

Sirius awoke with a smile on his face. He loved having romantic dreams, especially when they concerned himself with Remus. He liked Remus a lot. He wasn't sure if it was love, but he'd liked him for a while now.

It was hard to remember when he'd stopped feeling friendship and grown towards romantic feelings for the younger boy, but he was hesitant when it came to sharing these feelings with anyone other than himself. He'd not even told James, and James was like a brother to him.

His stomach was a little unsettled, though, as the next day he would be seeing Remus and Peter again. It was the third last day of the holidays, and they were doing all their school supply shopping together. He always got nervous before seeing Remus, but when they were together, everything was fine. Remus had a calming effect on people, one of his many admirable qualities.

Sirius smiled once again, and turned onto his side again, drifting off into the waves of pleasant dreams. 


	2. In Diagon Alley

Title: Delicate Treasures  
  
Author: Stardrops  
  
Genre: Romance  
  
Rating: PG 13 + (For slash and occasional swearing, precautions only)  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter or anything related, it would be published and I would be the millionaire, therefore I wouldn't actually need to write a fanfiction! Therefore, I hope you deduce that no, I do not own them.  
  
Chapter Two: In Diagon Alley  
  
"Sirius!" A voice was jerking Sirius out of his nice, warm snooze. James was up and about early, as usual.  
  
"Mmmffph," he answered grumpily, pulling the pillow over his head in a flat refusal to embrace the morning.  
  
"Sirius Black, if you don't get up, I will jump on your back and probably bring you more pain than opening your eyes to the morning sun would!"  
  
"Mmmffph!"  
  
"All right, you asked for it!" James said. Sirius heard the floor creak as a heavy footstep put pressure on the bare wooden floor next to his bed. He felt slight apprehension as the creak became more pronounced as though James was putting still more pressure on before–  
  
"Oh jeez, James!" Sirius gasped as something large, heavy and bony landed on his back. The projectile was laughing childishly and tickling Sirius.  
  
"Come on, Siri! We have to get going if we're gonna meet Remus and Peter when we said we would! Get up!" James poked him in the side, where he knew Sirius was the most ticklish.  
  
Sirius giggled helplessly as James tickled him, before kicking out violently with his leg and catching James in the stomach. As James sank to the floor in an exaggerated slump, Sirius yawned and stretched.  
  
"There are you happy?" Sirius glared at James. He hated – no, despised – getting up early in the morning. Sirius liked to stay up late and sleep in. James, however, was fully energized and full of laughter at any stage during day or night. The only time Sirius had not known him to be bouncy when getting out of bed was when Sirius and Peter had, at a sleepover, drawn on his face using Mrs Potter's eyeliner. He was so dismayed with his pronounced moustache that he'd chased Peter all over the house. Which, in fact, Sirius realized with a grumble to himself, meant that he'd had energy, and a lot of it. So therefore, James was never tired or grumpy when he'd been woken in the morning.  
  
"Holy crap, you sure pack a punch – or should I say a kick?" James quipped.  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"Ooooh, are you grumpy or something?" James asked with a grin.  
  
Sirius glared at him and pulled on a pair of jeans. "Go pester someone else. It's too early in the morning."  
  
James smiled wickedly. "Yes, it is, isn't it? But isn't it a lovely day?"  
  
"I wouldn't know." Sirius busied himself tying his shoe laces.  
  
James crossed the room to the window and pulled down the string. The curtains whooshed open, letting in – in Sirius's opinion – an obscene amount of sunlight.  
  
"Argh!" Sirius shielded his eyes. "You bastard!" He chased James out of the bedroom and down to the kitchen where James hid behind his mother, grinning wickedly.  
  
"Boys! I'm trying to serve breakfast!" Mrs Potter protested. "James, sit down would you please? Sirius, you sit over here." She shoved a plate piled high with omelette and a side of bacon over to Sirius and passed the toast to him first.  
  
"Hey, mum, what time are we leaving here?" James asked, mouth full of egg and toast.  
  
"Ugh, James! Chew your food, swallow, and then talk!" Mrs Potter said in disgust. "We'll be leaving as soon as you two eat your breakfast. What time are you meeting Remus and Peter?"  
  
"Eleven."  
  
Sirius felt the familiar feeling of butterflies surface in his stomach.  
  
* * *  
  
James and Sirius were walking down the main street in Diagon Alley, heading for the ice creamery where they'd promised to meet the other half of the Marauders.  
  
"Why on earth did you arrange to meet them there? You know what will happen, we're all going to buy ice cream and get stuffed full of junk at eleven in the morning. It's too early in the morning for ice cream!"  
  
James looked insulted. "Sirius, it's never too early in the morning for ice cream. You have no respect for my friend: the junk food."  
  
Sirius playfully shoved him. "Shut up, Prongs. You're a moron."  
  
It was at that exact moment that the ice creamery came into view, and with it, so did the sight of their friend Peter.  
  
"Hey, Wormtail!" yelled James happily. The two boys hastened their pace and met up with the smaller, slightly plumper boy. He looked pleased to see them.  
  
"Hey, man, how're you going?" asked Sirius, thumping Peter on the back. Peter whacked him back and smiled innocently.  
  
"Good grief, he's turning into you, Siri!" James laughed. "Oy, where's Moony?"  
  
"He's coming now, look, there!"  
  
Sirius's head snapped up. Sure enough, there was Remus, walking towards them with a huge smile on his face, waving like a maniac. Sirius couldn't help but grin as the smaller boy walked towards him, and for a moment, he couldn't hear nor see anything around him except the beautiful, sandy haired creation moving so elegantly in his direction.  
  
"Moonyyyyyyyy!" called James joyfully. Remus reached them and slapped his hand to James's in a high five.  
  
"Hey guys, long time, no see!" Remus said with a grin. He turned to look at the ice creamery. "Well, there's no use standing out here. Shall we go in?"  
  
James looked at Sirius. "But isn't it too early in the morning for ice cream?" he asked innocently, but with the evil glint still evident in his eyes.  
  
Sirius raised an eyebrow at him. "James, you poor unintelligent being, it is never too early in the morning for ice cream." He poked his tongue out at the messy haired boy and ducked a playful punch. The two walked into the ice cream parlour, still playfully insulting each other, leaving Remus and Peter to walk in after them in slight bewilderment.  
  
* * *  
  
Licking ice creams, the four boys were wandering the main street again.  
  
"So.........what does everyone want to do first?" asked Remus. Sirius studied him, and watched him delicately eating his ice cream. It was Wild Quippterberry, an unusual flavour, just like Remus. Sirius looked down at his own. It was a boringly normal flavour, Craving Chocolate.  
  
"Oh, we haven't yet got our books!" Remus exclaimed. "Let's go to Flourish and Blotts!"  
  
Sirius smiled to himself. Trust Remus to remember the books. He spent half his life reading every book ever written. Sirius had trouble bothering to read most of the required books for school. He and James always managed to get good grades, but he had to admit he'd probably never do as well in his exams if he didn't get the help Remus offered him every time an exam was approaching.  
  
Entering Flourish and Blotts, they saw a display of Quidditch books in the centre of the store. James uttered what would have been a squeal were he not male and dragged Sirius over to the towering pyramid of books. Sirius didn't need much coaxing. Remus and Peter separated and wandered to different sections of the store. Peter was looking over books on jinxes; Remus was looking at non-fiction books about famous wizards.  
  
Sirius's eyes followed Remus as he wandered slowly around, picking up books at random and skimming the front and back covers before setting them back down. He was so absorbed that he didn't notice James speaking to him until he felt an unnecessarily hard thump on the back.  
  
"Oh, holy crap man!" Sirius groaned. "What the hell was that for?"  
  
James grinned cheekily. "You weren't paying attention to me."  
  
Sirius rolled his eyes. "You're such an attention seeker. Have you ever considered getting professional help?"  
  
"I wouldn't need professional help if you paid attention to me all the time!" James replied impertinently. He copped a flick on the shoulder from Sirius for that comment. "Anyway, check out these uniforms, aren't they the saddest thing? And honestly, check out this picture of the Wronski Feint, its so obvious that he's feinting because you can see that he's concentrating on when to pull the broom up........." Sirius tuned out after a while, he was Quidditch crazy but even he got bored of James's constant Quidditch talk.  
  
It wasn't until Remus came and firmly clasped him hand over James's mouth and began to drag him from the bookshop that they actually left. James hadn't actually bought any books of his own, Remus had bought the books for all four of them while Sirius was being lectured on the proper techniques of the Wronski Feint and Peter was laughing his head off at Sirius's predicament.  
  
As they stood in the street outside the bookshop, they reimbursed Remus with money for their books. Sirius handed over a handful of Galleons and quickly let them all slide into Remus's bag. He'd given Remus about 5 extra Galleons and didn't want him to notice. Remus's family wasn't all that rich, and Sirius always liked to give some of his fortune away to him secretly. Remus would never find out about it, but it gave Sirius the warm glow of having done something nice for another person.  
  
As the four set off down the street, a few hours later, having bought all their belongings now, James looked at his Muggle watch. "Hey, guys, me and Sirius got to go meet mum soon, you gonna come?"  
  
Remus also looked at his watch and sighed. "Nah, I had better go and meet my father. I'll see you guys on the Hogwarts Express, ok?"  
  
"Yeah, later," said James. Sirius waved and Peter gave them all high fives before he jogged off in the direction of where his own mother was standing outside the Apothecary.  
  
"Well, that was mildly fun," James said casually. The pair were walking jauntily up the main street carrying several packages each.  
  
"Did you even buy that Quidditch book?" Sirius asked suddenly.  
  
James looked at him quizzically. "No, I was standing with you the whole time, remember?"  
  
Sirius groaned. "You made me stand there and listen to you rave on about Quidditch and you didn't even buy the bloody book?"  
  
James grinned gleefully. "Nope."  
  
Sirius turned his head and glared at his best friend. "Sometimes I really hate you."  
  
Shaking his head, James flashed his teeth in a wide smile. "No you don't. You love me. You know you do."  
  
Mrs Potter was waiting for them at the top of the street. "Come along boys," she chided.  
  
James and Sirius hung a distance behind their parents so they wouldn't seem uncool, hanging with their parents. Occasionally they would pass groups of people they knew from school, boys waved to them and girls giggled and blushed as the two good-looking males passed them.  
  
Sirius turned before they went back through the Leaky Cauldron and caught a glimpse of Remus walking away from him. Remus was looking in his direction, and Sirius watched as the sandy haired boy's face beamed at him and he waved before being dragged away by his parents.  
  
Sirius smiled to himself. And now they had a whole year of being in the same classes, the same dorm and everything. This year was sure to be the best so far.  
  
James nudged him. "Hey, what're thinking so hard about?"  
  
Sirius gave him a look of mock surprise. "Since when do you or I ever think?"  
  
James poked his tongue out and smiled. "Can't argue with logic there, can I?"  
  
A/N: Okay, that chapter kinda didn't work the way I was intending it to. Oh well, still got the general idea across. Haven't yet really revealed Remus's character, though, so will try my hardest to do that next time, promise. Please review it, I want ur feedback on how im doing!  
  
~Stardrops~ 


	3. Aboard The Hogwarts Express

Title: Delicate Treasures  
  
Author: Stardrops  
  
Genre: Romance  
  
Rating: PG 13 (For slash and occasional swearing, precautions only)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter. I do, however, own the plot. I am very proud. But the rest belongs to our creative genius, J K Rowling.  
  
Chapter Three: Aboard The Hogwarts Express  
  
The station was packed full of Muggles, as it normally was on September 1st. Sirius looked with interest at the Muggle boys lining up in their smart uniforms, ready to go to their private schools. They were wearing grey blazers and trousers with blue and yellow ties and white shirts. Sirius snickered, it all looked immensely uncomfortable and he was glad once again that he could wear jeans and a shirt beneath his light Hogwarts robes.  
  
James was walking beside him, holding the cage containing his owl. Mr and Mrs Potter were a rather large distance ahead of them with the luggage trolleys. The adults always liked to make sure that they were at least fifteen minutes early, but today they were a record forty-five minutes early.  
  
"Mum, why do we have to be here this early? Sirius and I could be sleeping!" whined James as they caught up at last.  
  
Mrs Potter shook her head. "Would you rather I'd let you sleep in with the possibility of missing the train? At least this way, we'll know that even if the train leaves early, you will be on it."  
  
James sighed. "Mum, the train never leaves early."  
  
"Can you guarantee that?"  
  
James shut up then, and the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10 came into view. James and Sirius waited til the adults had gone through before following casually. It never failed to amaze Sirius that Muggles could be so daft as not to even notice that people were falling through a solid wall right in front of their eyes.  
  
Mr and Mrs Potter went to load the luggage onto the train while Sirius and James went to check out who was already on board. Unfortunately, no one of interest to them was yet seated, but as they walked towards the exit, James elbowed Sirius wildly.  
  
"Oh, shit James, that really hurt!" Sirius moaned. James ignored him.  
  
"Look! It's Lily. She's here early too!" Sure enough, a beautiful redhead was carrying a large bag of books and walking alone in their direction. Her hair flowed out behind her in a shining, smooth cascade and even from a distance her vivid green eyes were bright and visible.  
  
James fumbled in his pockets for his Head Boy badge and fastened it to his robes. Running his fingers through his hair, he messed up his black locks and loosened his robes so he'd look more casual.  
  
Lily entered by the door they were standing near and James immediately leaned back against the wall. He nodded nonchalantly as she passed.  
  
"Nice to see you, Evans."  
  
Lily stopped and turned to James with the most withering glare Sirius had ever seen. James, however, seemed unperturbed by this; rather, he looked almost delighted that she hadn't just ignored him.  
  
"Well, aren't you even going to say hello?" Sirius asked with a little grin. She moved her glance to him and he immediately wished he'd kept his mouth shut; he knew Lily could be very, very brutal when she was angry.  
  
However, she offered nothing in the way of insults and simply ignored them as she moved towards the Head carriage.  
  
James thrust a fist in the air. "Yes!"  
  
Sirius raised an eyebrow in bewilderment. "Okay, James, most people would be slightly less than thrilled to have the girl they like glare and ignore them. Then, I suppose, you aren't like normal people are you?"  
  
James ignored this last comment and clutched Sirius's arm in glee. "She's Head Girl. I share a compartment with her on the train, and I share a common room with her at Hogwarts!" He jumped up and down excitedly.  
  
Sirius shook his head and wrenched his arm out of James's excited grasp. "Ugh, James, please."  
  
Remus and Peter had arrived in the time James was attempting to flirt with Lily, and the pair walked jauntily towards their friends.  
  
"Well, aren't you here early?" Peter teased. It was well known in their group that the Potters ensured their son was always on time, if not early, to every event they could.  
  
James glared. "Shut up."  
  
Sirius smirked. "He just got ignored by Lily again."  
  
Remus frowned. "What, no insults? Just – well – nothing?"  
  
Sirius nodded. James considered this for a moment and then shook his head. "Not really nothing, she did stop for a moment."  
  
Sirius snorted. "Yeah, so she could throw the killer glare at the two of us. Although, she did glare at you for longer than me, so I've nothing to worry about."  
  
James grinned happily. "But she can't escape as easily this term, she's Head Girl!"  
  
Remus cocked his head. "Does it mean that now you're Head Boy, you won't be sharing our dormitory?"  
  
James shook his head. "Nah, I'll still sleep there. I just get to share a special common room with the Head Girl." He waved his brows suggestively.  
  
The others gave a collective sigh and moved onto the train, hoping to deter James from any more 'Lily' talk.  
  
Unfortunately for them, Lily was in the Head carriage when they boarded. Remus and Sirius shared a grin: this would be amusing. It was clear that Lily did not yet know she would be sharing duties with James.  
  
"Well, going to find it harder to get away from James this term, aren't you, Lily?" Sirius said, thinking he might as well break the news to her as quickly as possible.  
  
Lily looked up from her book with a sour expression. "And why is that? I think I am perfectly capable of avoiding the lot of you, actually."  
  
James thrust his chest out further, and Lily's emerald eyes took in the shiny badge that was fastened to his robes.  
  
She looked at Remus wildly. "Wait.........are you telling me that you're not – that he's – Head Boy?"  
  
Remus couldn't hide his amusement as he nodded. Her eyes widened and she went pale.  
  
"Oh lord. I have to share a common room with – with – you?" she asked James. He nodded happily.  
  
"Oh holy crap."  
  
James winked at her. "You never know, you may find that after spending quality time with me, I'm not so bad."  
  
She glared at him again. "I'd rather spend time with Severus Snape."  
  
Sirius sucked in breath. Ouch. That was harsh.  
  
James was undeterred. "Come on, Lily, every Head Boy and Girl before us has ended up in a romantic relationship, you wouldn't break tradition now, would you?"  
  
She swept her hair out of her face and glowered. "I think this is one ritual that was destined to be broken."  
  
She exited the compartment, slamming the sliding door as best she could. The boys took the seats she and her books had previously occupied.  
  
Remus looked after her thoughtfully. "I don't think that went too badly, all things considered."  
  
Peter agreed. "Yeah, you never know, she might actually succumb to the Potter charm this year."  
  
Sirius groaned. "Oh, please, don't start him off. He'll never shut up now."  
  
The rest of the trip was rather enjoyable; there was no more talk of Lily but a rather long discussion of the holidays.  
  
"Moony, what do you do on the full moon when you don't have the Shrieking Shack?" Peter asked. There'd been a full moon in August.  
  
Remus smiled sadly. "I am locked in the basement."  
  
James frowned. "You have a basement? I thought those things only existed in America."  
  
Remus shook his head. "No, they exist in Europe too. I transform and when I am back to normal, I am let out."  
  
"Don't you chew down the door?"  
  
Remus looked at Peter. "No, the door is metal. It's a bit difficult. There aren't any windows either, so it's a very dark place to be."  
  
"Wouldn't your neighbours totally freak out at the fact that there is a werewolf howling in the basement of your house?" James furrowed his brow.  
  
"Well, not really. We live in a pretty secluded part of town. Our house is a five minute drive from our next door neighbour, and we're right next to a forest thing, so the people assume that the howling comes from the woods, not from the house next to the woods."  
  
Sirius looked down at his hands. Remus's transformations out of school were always a bit of a sore topic where he was concerned. He hated the thought that Remus would be all by himself during these painful nights without anyone or anything to distract him from the injury that becoming a werewolf can bring.  
  
Remus looked up with an effort and changed the subject swiftly to Peter's trip to Australia. Peter's parents were fond of travel, so they often went to exotic and not-so-exotic locations for holidays.  
  
Later, as the group was eating their way through what was likely to be half the snack trolley, they received the message that they'd be reaching Hogwarts in the next ten minutes; so changing would be a good idea.  
  
The four boys got out their robes and changed out of their sweaters and into the light material. As Remus removed his jumper, part of his shirt came up too, and Sirius could see the unhealed gashes that decorated his skin in a painful looking pattern. Remus quickly jerked the shirt back down and looked to Sirius. Sirius looked back without even a trace of a smile. He silently inclined the now covered skin and raised his eyebrow to his friend. Remus simply shrugged lightly and smiled, brushing it off as though it didn't matter. But Sirius could tell it wasn't that easily gone from his mind. He'd noticed several moments during the train ride where Remus would wince and place his hand to his back where the cuts were. Even though he knew Remus would never complain about it, he could still tell his friend was not happy.  
  
This thought was somewhat dispelled from his mind as train slowed to a stop. Lily's voice could be heard outside as she directed the first years, and James quickly left to go join her.  
  
Peter and Remus walked out of the carriage together, and Sirius followed, a few paces behind. He watched Remus as he walked and as Remus laughed at something Peter said, Sirius couldn't help but smile. There was nothing he liked more than to see Remus happy.  
  
A/N: Gaaaaah! That didn't turn out the way I planned either! Remus's character has still not perfectly formed, but it will! In the next few chapters, he will start to develop further and further. There will probably be a lot more of him in the next chapter; I'll see what I can do.  
  
Thank you so much to my lovely, beautiful reviewers. I love you all so incredibly much.  
  
Silver sunn 101 – awwww, thank you! I love your fanfiction as well! I'm trying really hard to get Remus together, im just not doing well :P  
  
JWGrey – thanks! I read some of your fanfictions as well, they're pretty awesome!  
  
Lunaris – Isn't he just? I think he is one of the greatest characters in the books.  
  
Ickle Ronnie – thanks! Here's an update just for you :P  
  
Nya – puppy dog eyes always work on me! :P thanks, they're not all developed yet, but they will be!  
  
Affected MangO – You've met him....but not as much as you probably should! Sorri! Ill try to get more of him for you!  
  
Terrylove – don't be embarrassed, we're all addicts who have nothing better to do! :P Sirius/remus are a fantastic couple, aren't they? Love them! Thanks heaps for your review! 


	4. Back At Hogwarts Again

Title: Delicate Treasures  
  
Author: Stardrops  
  
Genre: Romance  
  
Rating: PG 13 (For slash and occasional swearing, precautions only)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter. I do, however, own the plot. I am very proud. But the rest belongs to our creative genius, J K Rowling.  
  
Chapter Four: Back at Hogwarts Again  
  
James and Lily were holding the doors of the train open with the other prefects. Lily was standing beside James, and while Lily didn't look thrilled, James looked positively delighted.  
  
"Do you think he could be any more obvious?" Remus muttered to Sirius and Peter, though he couldn't help smiling at the look of joy on James's face. "He looks as though he's won a lottery, he's only standing beside the girl!"  
  
Sirius grinned as well. "I think that is likely to be the closest James has ever been to Lily without being slapped or insulted. Maybe with her responsibilities this year, she'll give him a break and they'll finally get together."  
  
Peter looked visibly relieved. "Do you really think so? I don't think I can cope with much more of his Lily whinging. Its positively boring now."  
  
Remus nodded. The three continued on their way to the carriages. James and Lily would be taking the boats back with the first years, so they weren't likely to see him again til the Feast.  
  
Sirius stepped into one and held the door open for Peter to hop through. Peter settled himself opposite Sirius and Remus climbed in to sit next to Peter. Sirius felt a little stab of envy in his stomach, but then he reminded himself that it was only a seat, not a declaration of passion.  
  
As the carriage began to move by the invisible forces that pulled them, Remus and Peter chattered away, but Sirius became quiet as he watched the darkness fall over the castle grounds. Turning the corner, the bright lights in the windows of Hogwarts came into view. Every year Sirius felt a warmth in his insides at the sight of Hogwarts, and this year was no exception.  
  
After exiting the carriage and carrying their luggage into the hall where the house elves would deliver it later, the three Marauders climbed the stairs into the Entrance Hall. Peter was evidently less fit than last year, and was panting by the time they'd reached the top.  
  
"You have to be a bloody cross country runner to be able to cope with these damn stairs!" he gasped.  
  
Remus and Sirius exchanged a look. "Peter, did you do any exercise while you were on holidays? Any at all?" Remus asked.  
  
Peter ignored them, obviously he hadn't. "Something smells really good from the direction of the kitchen," he pointed out. "I'm starved, I hope the Sorting doesn't take too long."  
  
Sirius and Remus shoved him into the Great Hall where they took their usual seats at the Gryffindor table. James and Lily were already there, Lily looking at James with a poisonous expression, but James not seeming the slightest bit abashed by this display of dislike.  
  
"How was the trip?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Oh, great!" James answered.  
  
Lily rolled her eyes from a few seats down. "Oh please, James, the waters were so rocky from the wind that it was horrible!" Her friends joined her then, and she withdrew from the conversation.  
  
James considered this. "I wasn't paying much attention, I can't say I noticed it much."  
  
Sirius snorted. "Looking after the first years so hard a task you didn't notice rocky waters?"  
  
James's expression showed he was not really listening to Sirius. "Yeah. That's exactly right."  
  
Remus tried to hide a grin as Sirius put his head in his hands. Just then, the Sorting began. The Marauders did not talk any more until the food was being served.  
  
Peter was tucking into the chicken and mushroom dish in front of him – but he didn't seem to have food on his mind, which was a strange new thing for Peter. Usually it was the only thing he ever seemed to think about.  
  
It wasn't until James noticed Peter trying to scoop and eat the gravy on his plate with a knife instead of using a spoon or fork like a normal person that anyone actually said anything.  
  
"Peter, what the hell are you doing?"  
  
Peter jumped a mile high. "N-nothing." He resumed to eating his mashed potato, but Remus noticed his eyes flitting to the Hufflepuff table more than normal.  
  
Sirius glanced over at the Hufflepuffs to where there was a girl, Mariah Stewart, sitting with her friends. He grinned. This was going to be fun.  
  
He leaned back casually in his chair. "So, you know Mariah Stewart?"  
  
Peter dropped his fork with a crash. He cleared his throat and picked up his goblet of pumpkin juice, taking a sip and choking spectacularly, spluttering everywhere before saying as casually as possible, "Yeah, I know her."  
  
"What about her?" Remus asked.  
  
Sirius thought quickly. "She's really pretty, isn't she?" James and Remus looked at each other, to Sirius, to Mariah, to Peter – and then in a flash of understanding, they both nodded.  
  
"Yeah, she's gorgeous." James stole a look at Peter, who was tracing his fork in his gravy, trying not to look too interested in the conversation.  
  
"D'you reckon she'd be interested in me?" Sirius could see Peter getting tense around the shoulders.  
  
Remus tried to hide a grin as he answered, "I don't know, Sirius, why don't you ask and find out?"  
  
James tapped a finger to his chin thoughtfully. "You know, I think I heard that she was interested in someone else."  
  
Peter's back straightened and he looked straight at James. "Who?" he blurted without thinking. James raised an eyebrow at Peter, and he immediately flushed. "Not that I care or anything."  
  
Remus shook his head. He was starting to feel slightly sorry for Peter; the boy looked like he'd explode if Sirius did go ahead and ask her out. "I heard someone was interested in her, but not that she was interested in them."  
  
Sirius turned to Peter. "What do you reckon, should I ask her out?"  
  
Peter squeaked out something inaudible. Sirius pretended to take this for assent. "Right, then, I'll just go now, shall I?" He started to get up from his chair.  
  
Peter lurched forward and grabbed Sirius's sleeve. "No!"  
  
The other three Marauders roared with laughter. "I don't believe this!" James exclaimed gleefully. "Peter's got a crush on Mariah Stewart!"  
  
Peter looked remarkably like a tomato now, without the green top. "I do not," he hissed.  
  
"Then why can't I ask her out?" Sirius teased.  
  
Peter considered this. "Okay, maybe a little one."  
  
This delighted James. "So! Are you going to ask her out?"  
  
Peter was silent.  
  
"Oh, come on! You can't just tell us that and then sit there without telling her!"  
  
Peter turned to James with a withering glance. "One: I didn't tell you, you tricked me. Two: I don't have to tell her anything."  
  
Remus smiled but gave James a look that said, 'leave him alone for a bit.' Peter was obviously totally embarrassed about this, and much fun as it was to pay him out, Remus didn't want to witness another fight between Sirius and Peter. Since Sirius and James were best friends, Remus always got stuck with Peter when they split up in fights, and Peter was a fantastic whiner when it came to bitching about people who'd pissed him off.  
  
The meal was finished, and the four Marauders were heading up to their dormitories, carrying their timetables and complaining loudly about the classes they had for the next day.  
  
"I don't believe this. Since when did teachers ever have Care of Magical Creatures next to Muggle Studies?" Peter moaned.  
  
"Hey, I'm more worried about the fact that we no longer get our half hour break between Divination and DADA on Tuesdays – wasn't that always a given?" James asked. The timetables had been revised over the holidays to allow for new programs and classes that would be taking place.  
  
Sirius shrugged and opened the door to their dormitory. All four boys collapsed onto someone's bed – not really caring whose. Remus and Sirius sat on Sirius's while James shared his with Peter.  
  
"Guys – can I ask you for some advice?" James asked.  
  
Remus and Sirius glanced at each other quickly. They knew what was coming. "Yes, James, of course you can," Sirius said, a little too sweetly. James did not pick up on the sarcasm unfortunately, and continued.  
  
"How can I get Lily to notice me?"  
  
'Yep,' Remus thought. 'Knew it.'  
  
Sirius cocked his head. "You know what? I think I remember having this conversation one or two times before."  
  
"Add a few zeros and you're on the mark, Siri," added Remus.  
  
James pretended to get out of his bed and pummel him, but instead looking imploringly around. "Come on, you've got to have some good advice, all the other advice you've given me for the last few years has been totally crap."  
  
"Hey!" Sirius exclaimed, slightly offended.  
  
"Well, I'm not yet with her, am I?" James pointed out.  
  
"That's true," Sirius acknowledged.  
  
Remus thought for a moment. "It's not really a matter of getting her to notice you, James, she's already done that. It's more a matter of getting her to like you."  
  
Peter hid his giggle behind a cough.  
  
James nodded eagerly. "Right. So? What do I do?"  
  
Remus and Sirius looked at each other helplessly. This was the kinda stuff girls talked about; they weren't exactly experts in the business.  
  
"Maybe if you stopped being such a pompous little show-off whenever she's around?" Sirius suggested.  
  
"Try to be normal, and don't act like you're superior to everyone else around you?" Remus offered.  
  
"Been there, done that," James said. "I've tried all that!"  
  
"Well, obviously not hard enough if she still wont give you the time of day. Hey, speaking of which, aren't you two supposed to share a common room?"  
  
James nodded gloomily. "It's not going to be ready til like, November." He looked back at Remus. "Any more advice?"  
  
Remus shook his head.  
  
Sirius looked thoughtful. "Play hard to get."  
  
James looked at him quizzically, but with interest. "What do you mean?"  
  
"It's really simple. Pretend you don't care about her in that way. Instead of always trying to impress her, just act as though nothing about her really interests you, and she'll go nuts. It always works." Sirius wasn't so sure it would work with Lily, she didn't seem to be all that normal, but it was worth a try.  
  
James looked pensive. "Right. I'll start operation Hard-To-Get first thing tomorrow."  
  
Peter and James started to play chess at that moment, so Remus and Sirius were left to chat quietly for a while.  
  
"How did you come up with that thing for James?" asked Remus. "I didn't know you were that skilled in dealing with the opposite sex."  
  
Sirius grinned. "Well, I don't like to brag but........."  
  
Remus threw a pillow at him.  
  
Sirius pulled out a pack of playing cards. "Exploding Snap?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
The two played game after game. As he played, Sirius found himself examining Remus's every move and noise. In their group, they were all relatively similar people, they all liked having fun and doing risky things, but they had defining personality traits. Peter was a suck-up, James was eternally cheerful and playful, Sirius was the mastermind of all evil plots and always up for even the most daring pranks and activities, and Remus was the sensible one. The studious one who always helped them out – but was very, seriously mischievous on the side.  
  
"Sirius?" He came back to earth when he heard Remus say his name. "Your go."  
  
Shaking himself, he quickly set down his next card and the entire pack exploded, Sirius getting a faceful of smoke and heat.  
  
Remus couldn't stop laughing. He helped Sirius out into the bathroom where he attempted to dab the soot of Sirius's cheeks, but couldn't help chuckling. Sirius waited until his face was almost completely clean and then took the towel to do the rest himself. He ran it under the cold water tap and the started to dab at his face. Remus summoned another and started wiping soot off the back of Sirius's neck. For a moment, Sirius felt fine, but then noticed a sort of cold trickle down his back. He gasped.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
Remus stopped swabbing and looked at him. "What do you mean, I'm cleaning you up!" He continued wiping the sides and back of Sirius's neck. Sirius wondered if he was going mad, imagining water running down his back until he felt it again.  
  
"Argh! That is cold!"  
  
Remus looked at him as though worried about his sanity. Sirius muttered an apology and returned. When it happened a third time, though, Sirius didn't hesitate. He whipped around to see Remus squeezing water from the towel as he cleaned, causing a tiny waterfall to cascade beneath Sirius's shirt down his back.  
  
"Ha! I knew there was something going on! You're not as naïve as you pretend to be!" Sirius proclaimed.  
  
Remus flashed him an innocent look. "Who, me?"  
  
Sirius ran his hand under warm water and flicked his fingers at Remus. Remus responded by throwing the wet towel over Sirius's head so he couldn't see, then filling his cupped hands with water and throwing them at Sirius.  
  
Soon a fully fledged water fight was taking place. It wasn't until the floor was practically a swimming pool and their muscles ached from laughing so that they stopped and took it in turns to change their clothes.  
  
Sirius, of course, refused to change first and stood outside, wet and shivering while Remus changed quickly. Sirius used this opportunity to drip some cold water into James's ear in his sleep.  
  
"ARGH!" James yelled. "Holy CRAP that's so freaking cold!"  
  
Sirius grinned. "Just wanted to say goodnight."  
  
James glared. "You'll get yours. Just you wait. I'll get you back."  
  
Sirius bowed. "Looking forward to seeing it, mate."  
  
TBC  
  
A/N: There! Just for you guys, I tried to add something about Remus's character. That, I'm afraid, will have to develop sloooooooooowly throughout the entire story. Please keep reviewing, and thanks to those who have reviewed all me chapters so far, especially to silversunn101 who I think has done a review to every chapter of this story!  
  
Also thanks to:

Affected MangO - Patience, precious, patience. You will get your Sirius/Remus love. Promise. (Don't worry, i'm as desperate to get past all the other crap and into that section as you are to read it!)

Ickle Ronnie - Thank you, thank you very much. lol

SPInSiriusDenial - I adore your name. That is the most cool name ever. Anyway, thank you for your sweet comments, and i'll try speed it up. I think it's dragging a bit.

Lunaris - dont we love him though? its half of what makes James James. I just thought it was the cutest thing. :P


	5. Christmas Shopping!

Title: Delicate Treasures  
  
Author: Stardrops  
  
Genre: Romance  
  
Rating: PG 13 (For slash and occasional swearing, precautions only)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter. I do, however, own the plot. I am very proud. But the rest belongs to our creative genius, J K Rowling.  
  
Chapter Five: Hogsmeade – Christmas Shopping!  
  
Several months later, things hadn't much changer – except that Peter was becoming an extremely shady character. He often slipped off between classes, and wouldn't tell anyone where he'd been. He also disappeared randomly in the middle of the night, and wouldn't get back til early the next morning. The other Marauders noted this, but couldn't figure out the behavior. So they ignored it, much to the delight of Peter.  
  
It was a beautiful and bright dawn on a Saturday morning. The Marauders were up and about early for once. The reason? Today was a Hogsmeade visit.  
  
Everyone looked forward to these, especially the Marauders. They'd almost completely run out of their supplies of tricks and prank-stuff, and needed to restock. Plus, they loved Butterbeer in the colder months, and stocking up on sweets for the Christmas period from the sweetshop was always a delight. Christmas shopping for the Marauders was never very difficult.  
  
Peter, of course, nicked off as soon as they got out of the school and into Hogsmeade. He muttered something about having to go see something in the post office, and scuttled away before they could ask him more or follow.  
  
James and Sirius, of course, dragged Remus over to Zonko's. Remus, protesting about how he was cold and wanted hot Butterbeer, soon shut up as they examined the new arrivals. They left the shop a while later, their pockets full of the new and old tricks, but with not much money left.  
  
Remus dragged them all over to Madam Rosemerta's. Sirius and James, of course, immediately began flirting with the young bartender. She loved their attention, and gave them all a free drink.  
  
As they were sitting at their booth, James asked, "So – what are we doing about Christmas presents?"  
  
"What do we normally do?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Well, we simply give each other presents. But I reckon we should do a Secret Santa this year."  
  
"A what?" Sirius asked in disbelief.  
  
"A Secret Santa. It's where you put everyone's name into a hat, and then you draw out the names so each person has a different name. Then you buy that person a present."  
  
"And what happens if you get yourself?" Remus asked.  
  
"Everyone puts the names back and we all pick again."  
  
"So this is a subtle way of being a cheapskate, huh?" Sirius winked at Remus.  
  
James threw a coaster at Sirius. "I just think it's more sensible."  
  
"I agree," Remus said. Sirius shrugged.  
  
"Well, three against one, I think we're doing it!" James crowed victoriously.  
  
"Uh, James? Peter didn't say yes or no."  
  
James waved that aside. "Oh, come on. He's always going to go along with majority. So, Secret Santa it is!"  
  
They were looking for Peter an hour later. It was nearly two o'clock by the time they found him, in the post office, wrapped around a girl.  
  
"Peter! You go man!" James yelled. Sirius wolf whistled, and Remus gave him a thumbs up and a huge wink.  
  
Peter turned and saw them, blushing a brilliant shade of crimson when he caught sight of the trio making fun of him. He made his way over, still clutching the hand of his girlfriend, but trying to hide if from his three friends.  
  
"Hello there Mariah. Nice to see you." James put on an air of politeness, all the while giving Peter a huge wink, which Mariah, thankfully, did not spot.  
  
Sirius shook hands with her, and she smiled at Remus. "Where have you two been?"  
  
"Oh – you know, here and there........." Peter trailed off.  
  
James rolled his eyes. "Right, well, we're about to head back to school. You love birds going to follow us?"  
  
Mariah answered for Peter. "No, he's going to be just a little longer."  
  
Sirius and Remus struggled to keep their faces straight as James winked and waved at Peter. "Ciao, man!"  
  
As soon as they were out of earshot, the three burst into laughter. "Who would have thought that Pete would finally get a girlfriend?!" Sirius howled with mirth.  
  
"Didn't they look adorable together?" Remus chuckled.  
  
James stopped laughing and stood up straight. "Lily ahead," he muttered to the other two, who immediately stopped as well and tried to look cool for James's sake. As they sauntered past Lily and her friends, James gave a smile and a wink. Lily glared, but all her friends burst into fits of girlish giggles and flirty pouts in desperate attempts to make the three handsome boys interested in them.  
  
"Ugh. Why on earth do girls do it?" Sirius muttered as soon as they were past. "Giggling is one of the most evil things in the universe."  
  
"You've been known to giggle once in a while, Sirius," pointed out Remus.  
  
"I have not!" Sirius retorted.  
  
"What do you think, James?" Remus looked to his friend for support of the argument.  
  
"Yeah, sorry, Sirius, you have definitely giggled several times in the while I've known you. It's really sad, but there you go." James grinned evilly.  
  
Sirius lost no time in bending over and grabbing two handfuls of snow. His left hand pegged a snowball at James while the right flung one in the direction of Remus.  
  
Both snowballs hit their targets – James in the face, Remus in the arm.  
  
"Holy crap, how did you manage to throw with both hands?" James asked in awe, looking rather amusing with snow in his eyelashes and eyebrows.  
  
"I'm ambidextrous."  
  
"Hmph." James took his turn to peg a snowball at Sirius, and soon they were flinging snow everywhere, and would have carried on doing so except that Lily and her friends flounced past, hair bouncing.  
  
"You're all so extremely childish," claimed Lily, her friends agreeing in high-pitched voices, punctuated by the odd giggle.  
  
Naturally, Sirius had to throw handfuls of snow in their direction, which started a snowball fight between the two friendship groups.  
  
"Ha! Take that!" Lily yelled, throwing a large one extremely hard at James. It hit him in the stomach, and he sat down, looking incredibly surprised. Remus roared with laughter, and flung a snowball back at Lily.  
  
Professor Sprout came bustling over. "Girls! Boys! You are in the middle of a town; you cannot have a snowball fight here. Go back to school and fight there. Honestly." She bustled off again, tutting under her breath. Lily and her friends immediately marched off, and James followed suit, dragging Sirius and Remus close behind him.  
  
They were all back in the dormitory except for Peter, who, they presumed, was off with Mariah somewhere.  
  
James was lying on Sirius's bed playing with a pack of Exploding Snap cards, and Remus was sitting on his bed with Sirius at his feet. He was using gel to spike Sirius's hair, something he'd been bugging Sirius to let him do for ages now.  
  
"She threw a snowball at me. Is that a good sign?" James asked.  
  
"Er – sure, why not? Physical violence is always a good sign." Remus poked Sirius in the back of the neck to shut him up; he didn't want to depress James.  
  
"If she was paying more attention to you than to the rest of us, it's a really good sign, James."  
  
"What should I get her for Christmas?" James seemed satisfied with Remus's reply, though he threw a withering look towards Sirius.  
  
Remus thought for a moment. "Girls are into jewellery and all that, right?"  
  
Sirius nodded. "Mostly. Just give her some flowers and chocolates, though, she'll love them."  
  
"But that's so clichéd. Everyone's done that before." James rolled over, shuffling the cards pensively. "Maybe I should have gone to the jewellery store in Hogsmeade."  
  
"Possibly," Sirius replied. He was finding it rather hard to concentrate with Remus's fingers lacing through his hair.  
  
"Well, Lily likes flowers. Why don't you just conjure her up some, like Sirius said?" Remus asked. Sirius felt a momentary flicker of pleasure at Remus agreeing with him.  
  
"Because! It's been done. Over and over and over." James buried his face beneath his pillow.  
  
"Why do you ask our advice if you're going to knock back everything we say?" Remus asked.  
  
"Sometimes you guys have good ideas."  
  
Sirius snorted. "Sometimes. Oh, thanks."  
  
James had an idea. "Wait, I had a really good magazine a moment ago – oh, bugger, where did I put it? – It's a girly magazine that my mother had lying around the house last holidays. It somehow got mixed up in my books."  
  
"Oh, sure. 'Somehow.' Don't lie to us, James, we know you secretly love reading girly magazines!"  
  
"Ha, ha," James said dryly, ignoring Remus and Sirius's chuckling. He left the dormitory to go and look in the common room.  
  
Remus withdrew his fingers from Sirius's hair. "There you go, go look at that in the mirror."  
  
Sirius got up with a feeling of slight apprehension, and peered at his reflection. "Hey, I don't look too hideous at all!"  
  
Remus rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Oh, thanks."  
  
Sirius turned and studied Remus's hair. "How come you never do your hair like that?"  
  
"Because I can't do mine properly."  
  
"Well, then sit down. I'll do it for you."  
  
Remus grinned and took a seat. "Why do I feel really scared now?"  
  
Sirius cocked his head. "I'm not sure. Then again, if I had Sirius Black and gel playing with my hair, I'd probably be a little worried as well."  
  
"Great, that is a wonderful recommendation."  
  
Sirius spiked up the front first. He was always amazed at just how silky Remus's hair was. It was like running his fingers through silk – and it was always so shiny. He could never get his hair to glisten like that. And no matter how much he tried, his hair was coarse and dry all the time. Once the spikes were done, he went around to the back and gelled it into separate tiny locks. The sandy curls lay beautifully flat against Remus's head, and Sirius stood back to admire the effect.  
  
"All right, check yourself out in the mirror."  
  
Remus got up and looked nervously into the mirror. "Holy god, I look so incredibly weird." He turned back to Sirius. "What did you do to me?" he asked dramatically, with a playful tone to let Sirius know he was only joking.  
  
James reentered the room and stopped still. "What the bloody hell have you two been doing to your hair?"  
  
Remus and Sirius looked at each other and grinned. "Primping?"  
  
"Let it be known that from this day forward, girls are not the only ones who spend hours trying out hairstyles and different appearances." James gave them the magazine. "There, see if you can find something suitable in that."  
  
Sirius looked up at James with an arched brow. "James, this is an embroidery magazine."  
  
"Ah." James looked a little embarrassed. "Well, its not like I ever looked at it for long enough to realize."  
  
Remus took pity on James's woeful predicament. "Fine, look, we'll help you conjure some really awesome chocolates, like – I don't know, we'll come up with something. Tomorrow, okay?"  
  
James relaxed visibly. "Thanks guys." He studied their hair. "You reckon that would work on mine?"  
  
"Not a chance."  
  
"Your hair has a mind of its own," said Remus.  
  
"Just try anyway. Please?" James grinned hopefully.  
  
They spent the next hour or so trying to make James's hair sit down flat, and eventually, with a lot of water, gel and even a few hair potions James had for some really odd reason purloined from some of the girls in the common room the previous evening, they managed to make it look reasonably normal.  
  
"Hey, if I ever go on a date with the great Lily, you have got to do my hair like this."  
  
Remus snorted. "You've got to get the date first."  
  
"Will do. I'm on it." James settled into his pillow.  
  
"Uh, James? You kinda need to wash the gel out first?" James's response was a snore; he'd already fallen asleep. Remus grinned.  
  
"He'll regret that in the morning."  
  
Sirius followed Remus into the bathroom where they washed out the gel as best they could. Collapsing onto their beds, Remus was asleep within seconds. Sirius watched his friend sleep with the tiny sliver of moonlight that crept in through the window illuminating Remus's face.  
  
TBC  
  
A/N: Well, there we go. It's almost Christmas at Hogwarts. I had to speed it up; it was going so slowly I couldn't even be bothered to write it. Hope everyone likes the updates! Please keep reading, and don't forget to review! Special thanks to everyone who has already review this story, your comments keep me writing! 


	6. Christmas

Title: Delicate Treasures  
  
Author: Stardrops  
  
Genre: Romance  
  
Rating: PG 13 (For slash and occasional swearing, precautions only)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter. I do, however, own the plot. I am very proud. But the rest belongs to our creative genius, J K Rowling.  
  
Chapter Six: Christmas  
  
Christmas Eve had rolled around before long. Remus, Sirius and James sat around the fire in the common room long after everyone else went to bed.  
  
Their Secret Santa had been drawn a week earlier. James had got Sirius, Sirius picked out Remus, Remus had chosen Peter, and Peter had obviously been left with James. Sirius had gone through a great deal of thinking about what he could give Remus, seeing as how Remus didn't yet know that Sirius was in love with him, because he didn't want to give away anything until the timing was right to tell Remus exactly how he felt.  
  
"I sent Lily a bunch of flowers through the house elves in the kitchens," James informed them. "She'll get them first thing in the morning."  
  
"James, you realize as soon as she sees you, she's probably going to slap you for being so persistent." Sirius lazily flicked a page of his book.  
  
"Probably," James replied in dreamy unconcern. He stretched out over the couch. "I dunno about you guys, but I'm dead. You coming?"  
  
Remus nodded, and Sirius reluctantly followed his two friends to their dormitory. James lay on his bed, fully clothed, and was asleep within minutes. Peter hadn't yet returned from his night time stroll with his girlfriend.  
  
Remus sat on his bed and noticed Sirius sitting nonchalantly and reading. "Aren't you tired?" he asked in surprise.  
  
Sirius thought for a moment and then shook his head. "Nope, not really. Why, are you?"  
  
Remus grinned. "Yes, actually."  
  
"I'll light my wand so I don't disturb you, if you want," Sirius offered, lighting it up as he spoke.  
  
Remus gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks, man. I'm completely exhausted. Someone should stop the duties of Prefects going so late into the night and early into the morning – my sleeping pattern is totally stuffed up. I'll see you in the morning, okay?"  
  
Sirius nodded and continued reading, occasionally flicking a glance at Remus, who'd not bothered pulling the curtains around the four poster bed.  
  
Remus's eyes closed slowly and his breathing deepened. Sirius watched his sleeping friend and smiled softly. He put down his book and for a moment was completely content to simply sit and watch the boy's slumber. Outside, snowflakes were twirling down to the earth and settling into the white wonderland illuminated by clouded moonlight. He reached out a gentle hand and stroked back Remus's hair.  
  
"Sweet dreams," he whispered softly. He kissed his fingers and lightly pressed them to Remus's exposed cheek.  
  
He got back into bed and pulled the covers over him. Suddenly, he didn't feel like reading, so he shut off the light from his wand and settled into the covers.  
  
Remus sighed in his sleep, and his hand rested on his cheek, covering the spot where Sirius had kissed him.  
  
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The next morning, sunshine shone brightly through the window, waking Remus abruptly. He groaned and rolled over, immediately wishing that he'd pulled the curtains around so he wouldn't be so rudely woken. Trying half- heartedly to open his eyes, Remus noticed the big pile of presents at the foot of his bed.  
  
Forget sleep.  
  
He rose immediately, and punched James to wake him. Sirius wasn't in the room, and neither was Peter.  
  
James yawned and rolled over. "It's a Saturday. Get lost."  
  
Remus chuckled. "James, it's Christmas morning, and Santa was good to you. But fine – sleep if you feel the need to."  
  
That got James moving, and Remus went down to the common room to find Sirius and Remus. He caught sight of Sirius, sitting in an armchair by the fire. Peter was asleep on the couch.  
  
"Good morning," Remus said cheerfully. Sirius jumped, clearly startled.  
  
"Uh – Merry Christmas," he said. "Where's James?"  
  
"Still sleeping, I presume."  
  
"No, James is here right now. Someone wake Peter," James ordered, stepping down the staircase towards them.  
  
"And here was me thinking that wild horses couldn't get him out of bed earlier than midday on Christmas morning," mused Sirius in mock disbelief. James threw him an evil glare.  
  
"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response," he said witheringly. He leaned over Peter and yelled suddenly and loudly right in his ear.  
  
Peter woke with a jump. "Holy hell, what's going on?" he gasped, rubbing his ear which was now ringing. James grinned at him. "Good morning!" he said brightly. Peter grimaced.  
  
"Come on, guys, lets start opening," James suggested. The four friends sat around the fire – for some reason, everyone else was still asleep, and so they had the room to themselves. James played the role of Santa, like they did every year where one person picked out the presents and handed them to their owners to be opened. For nearly an hour, they opened gifts, threw wrapping paper at each other, laughed and admired each other's new acquisitions.  
  
Sirius had given Remus a beautifully bound book, extremely heavy and thick, and of course, extremely expensive. Remus ran his hands over the material bound covers lovingly.  
  
"Thank you, Sirius." He looked up and beamed. "It's beautiful."  
  
Sirius himself had received a large pile of Zonko's tricks, sweets from Honeydukes, and a broomstick kit from James over which he became incredibly protective.  
  
"So that's it then?" Remus asked. "We can go down to breakfast?"  
  
"Hey – wait!" James said, suddenly. "There's something beneath the Gryffindor Christmas tree again, like there is every year. Wonder who it's for this year!" He went over and crouched down for a look. "Oh my god, Remus, it's for you!"  
  
He handed Remus a single red rose and a white envelope that was sitting innocently beneath the tree. Remus looked at it in shock – the rose was a deep red and absolutely perfect. No petal was out of place. He turned over the envelope and began to open it, James eagerly assisting by ripping it out of his hands when he was too slow.  
  
Carefully and dramatically opening the envelope and unfolding the letter inside, James turned it over on both sides and shrugged. "There's nothing written here."  
  
"Let me see." Remus held out his hand, and James gave him the note. He turned it over once and stared at it for a moment and then gently refolded it and placed it back in the envelope which bored in beautifully scripted gold letters his name.  
  
James and Peter were cackling away with laughter. "Aw, someone fancies Remmie!" Peter howled. Sirius smirked as innocently and normally as he could, but his heart was beating wildly. He'd been the one to sneak downstairs early this morning before anyone else was awake and to place the rose and the note beneath the Gryffindor tree, knowing James would find it. There had always been a note beneath the Gryffindor tree for one of the Marauders, and James loved acting out whatever was written in the cards and then getting a complete ego boost if it was directed to him.  
  
And though he pretended to be sarcastic and laughing about it with James, Peter and Sirius, Remus was secretly shocked but pleased. Someone liked him – no one had really fancied him before, or at least, not that he knew of. This was a completely new experience. James and Sirius often had random love letters shoved under their doors, but Remus had never once received a love letter. And though it was blank, he was going to keep it forever, as a reminder that someone loved him.  
  
Whoever it was couldn't know about his turning into a werewolf every full moon, he thought bitterly. Still – if they never revealed themselves, he could maybe manage to fool himself into thinking that somewhere, someone wanted to spend the rest of their life with him.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
At breakfast, Lily came downstairs on her own. For once, she didn't look completely miffed when she saw James. If Sirius's eyes weren't cheating him, he believed she was even blushing slightly. Could it be that James had finally won Lily's heart? Through flowers at Christmas?  
  
Remus noticed as well, and winked at Sirius. James was too busy watching her to see the exchange between Remus and Sirius, but he turned to them a few seconds later. "Do you think she got the flowers?" he hissed.  
  
Remus smiled at Sirius. "Oh, I think she got them all right, James."  
  
James nodded and returned to his stealthy spying on Lily, trying to catch bits of conversation between her and her friends in case they mentioned the flowers or even him in general. Remus and Sirius rolled their eyes at each other. Peter wasn't there again; he'd gone off to have some 'quality time' with his girlfriend.  
  
-----------------------------------  
  
In Herbology, Lily came marching up to Sirius. "You're James's best friend. What's the deal with the flowers?" she demanded.  
  
"Um – well, obviously you know they're from James," he tried.  
  
She threw him a sarcastic smile. "Thanks for that, but I'm not completely stupid. "Why did he send them to me?"  
  
"Uh – lets think about this for a second Lily, shall we? Maybe – I don't know about this – but maybe it's because he likes you?" Sirius said with an extremely patronizing tone.  
  
He was expecting her to slap him, but not for her to blush slightly and smile. "Really?" she asked, as though expecting him to take back his comment and insist it was a joke.  
  
"Really," Sirius assured her. "I would have thought you'd have noticed – I think everyone else in Hogwarts has noticed him staring at you constantly."  
  
She ran her fingers through her hair. "Whatever. Either way – they'd better not be for some stupid joke or I will kill him. Make sure he knows that."  
  
She flounced off, her hair bouncing as she walked. Remus watched her leave and then joined Sirius. "So...anything new?" he asked, winking.  
  
"I think she might like him back for the first time ever," Sirius said in wonder. "It's an incredible day in history."  
  
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TBC  
  
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A/N: Okay, here's the next chapter. I am aware that it has taken me forever to write the next chapter, and for that I am truly sorry. I've almost finished Chapter Seven, so you won't have to wait long for that either. Please review my story! It means so much to me. And thank you to the people who have reviewed so far – you're absolute angels. Love you all!  
  
Lunaris: Well, then I guess it's half cute and half cliché...only one of them got the other in the Secret Santa! :D Ugh – ignore me. But yeah, I'm glad you think it's sweet! ( please keep reading and enjoying!  
  
Nya: Oh, in my imagination, it looks absolutely swoon-worthy. swoons :D  
  
WeasleyTwinsLover1112: Thanks! :D Here's your 'more', really sorry it took so long to update! hides and cringes Hope you still like it!  
  
Piper13: Oh, they will! Give them a few more chapters and they will. :D And yes, James does figure it out. You're too smart for your own good. :P keep reading, and I hope you continue to like it!  
  
Ickle Ronnie: Well thank you, my dear. I'm always glad to hear you guys like it, and thank you so much for your review! hugz ickle Ronnie 


	7. New Year

Title: Delicate Treasures  
  
Author: Stardrops  
  
Genre: Romance  
  
Rating: PG 13 (For slash and occasional swearing, precautions only)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter. I do, however, own the plot. I am very proud. But the rest belongs to our creative genius, J K Rowling.  
  
Chapter Seven: New Year  
  
"So...James." Sirius leaned back casually on his chair in the Gryffindor Common Room. The four boys, having stayed for the Christmas holidays, were part of a very small group of people staying at Hogwarts. James and Remus were playing Exploding Snap, and Sirius was watching. Peter was off on his own again. They hadn't actually seen him for more than a couple of hours at a time at extremely spaced out intervals.  
  
"So...what, Sirius?" James replied.  
  
"Had any run-ins with the beautiful Lily lately?" he asked.  
  
James deflated. "No. I thought she might have at least come and said thank you for the flowers, and then I might have managed to charm her – but no. She's even staying here for the holidays and she hasn't spoken to me once since the last day of term when she told me to stop crowding her in the corridor and to get lost."  
  
"And let me guess – you treasure that memory beyond all else?" Sirius teased.  
  
James whacked him. "Shut up, you."  
  
"Well – tonight is New Years Eve. Maybe you'll get a kiss from her to celebrate the New Year ahead. She's a kinda traditional person – right, Remus?"  
  
Remus nodded. "Sure. Always think positive."  
  
James considered this for a moment. "All right – yeah. I'll try and hang with her tonight. Are we going to set off fireworks outside again this year?"  
  
"Don't see why not," Sirius agreed.  
  
"Looking forward to tonight, then." At that moment, the pack exploded and James got a faceful of smoke. There ended their conversation about Lily Evans.  
  
-----------------------------------  
  
Dusk had settled. There was a slight pink, orange and yellow to the horizon, but the sun had mostly gone down. Seven o'clock – only five hours til the New Year came in. This was a time of year the Marauders loved – a chance to score kisses of random girls, an excuse to let of fireworks...the lot.  
  
James was staring at his reflection in the mirror. "Is it just me, or does that look like a pimple to you?" he asked Sirius.  
  
"Why are you even asking me that?" Sirius asked in disgust. "Like I want to look at it if it is."  
  
James gave him an imploring look, and he relented. "Fine. Okay." He went over and had a look. "No, James, that is your imagination. You have never had a pimple in your life."  
  
"Lucky bastard," slurred Peter from the opposite side of the room. They all ignored him.  
  
"So – tonight is the night, then!" James said gleefully. "I will kiss the beautiful Lily if it is the last thing I do tonight."  
  
"Isn't that the point? That the last thing you do of the year is give a kiss, and then it's the first thing you do of the next year?" Remus pointed out. James gave him an exasperated sigh.  
  
"Yes, but that's not the point of what I'm telling you. It was just a figure of speech."  
  
Sirius shook his head. "We all have the utmost faith in you, James."  
  
James clapped him on the back. "Thanks, man."  
  
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Eleven o'clock rolled around, and the Marauders were assembled on the bank near the lake. James was setting up the fireworks they were going to light, and the other three milled about laughing and joking. The rest of the school were wandering down after a while as well.  
  
Lily and her two friends were sitting about ten metres away from the Marauders, and so they decided to go crash the girls' party.  
  
'Well, hello there ladies," Sirius said in his deepest, sexiest voice. This set Lily's friend off into giggles straight away, though Lily sat there staring pointedly at him.  
  
"What do you want?" she said, completely unimpressed.  
  
"Just to talk to you three fine ladies," he answered. Remus gave one of the girls a wink and she nearly fainted.  
  
James joined them. "What are we talking about here?"  
  
"Nothing much," Sirius said. "These girls are being surprisingly unwelcoming tonight."  
  
"Oh. That's boring," replied James. "Don't suppose you three'd be interested in playing Spotlight, would you?"  
  
After explaining the rules to the three girls, three Marauders ran in different directions. Peter had begged off the game, claiming to need to find his girlfriend.  
  
Sirius watched Remus hide behind a bush and he himself hid behind a tree that gave him a good view of both the bush and the others running around. The night wasn't very dark, because the moonlight was shining down on them and the stars were incredibly bright as well. He saw Remus look up at the sky and was tempted with a sudden urge to go join his friend and confess his true feelings. He was just about to go and strike up a conversation when Lily came from behind him, tapped him on the shoulder and yelled, "I got Sirius!"  
  
Sirius groaned inwardly, but obligingly turned and counted to twenty before running to find others. He purposely missed the section of bushes behind which he knew Remus was hiding, and managed to get James in the light of his wand.  
  
Half an hour later, the girls and the three Marauders were still running around, much to the amusement of the teachers who thought they were childish but hilarious. Professor McGonagall called out the time to them at 11:55, when they stopped running around, breathless and still laughing amongst themselves. Lily was even smiling at James, which was a major development.  
  
Peter and his girlfriend were standing back as James lit the firework's fuses. The countdown began, and all the teachers and students, from first year to seventh, chorused as they waited for the magically timed fireworks to begin going off. They were scheduled to go off at exactly midnight.  
  
"Ten...nine...eight...seven..." the chorus went. Sirius was overcome with a sudden urge to take Remus's hand. "Six...five...four...three..." His heart wanted nothing more than to hold Remus in his arms and kiss him, but for some reason, he could not move. His body was frozen in fear at the thought. "Two...one...HAPPY NEW YEAR!" everyone yelled, hugging each other and laughing.  
  
Sirius felt himself seeping with disappointment. He sneaked a glance at Remus who was standing, watching something over Sirius's shoulder. "Hey, look!" he whispered urgently. Sirius turned to look where he pointed, and felt a smile creep over his face. Lily and James were standing together, her arms around his neck and his hands on her waist – kissing.  
  
"No way," Sirius said in disbelief. He began to laugh. "He actually did it. What a legend."  
  
Remus smiled.  
  
Oh well, Sirius thought. At least he'd not embarrassed himself in front of everyone. Imagine if he'd tried to kiss Remus and been rejected with everyone watching. And besides, who wanted their first kiss to be with all their friends, schoolmates and teachers watching? Ugh.  
  
Sirius contented himself with watching the fireworks lighting up the sky. Resounding booms and whistles went off as the sparks exploded against the dark diamond sky. Dragons dipped around Catherine Wheels, arrows flew through circles of sparks and an entire display of birds flew into the night, leaving a trail of sparks behind them.  
  
He looked over and saw Remus staring at the sky with a gentle smile lighting his facial features. He looked so beautiful in the coloured light, casting reflections onto his perfect face. Sirius had never been more infatuated than he was at that moment.  
  
Remus seated himself on the grass, fireworks still exploding around them. "Well – another year started," he reminded Sirius. Sirius groaned and flopped down on the grass to join him. "Don't remind me. How depressing. As time goes forward, that means the workload at school gets heavier."  
  
Remus shoved him playfully. "Have I ever told you that you complain a lot, and for no reason? You, James and me are the top three in the class, and we will be for the rest of the school year with no worries. I honestly don't know why you complain about the workload, you manage it quite well."  
  
Sirius pretended to blush. "Aw, Moony, stop! You're embarrassing me."  
  
Remus laughed and returned his gaze to the sky. The pair were silent for a moment before Remus spoke again. He gazed off into the night. "I wonder what it's like to be in love."  
  
Sirius panicked inwardly. Oh god. He had to be really careful what he did or didn't say here, in case he spilled something he didn't intend to.  
  
"It'd have to be someone really special if it was love. I mean, a silly teenage infatuation isn't the same thing as love. It has to be about something much deeper and more meaningful."  
  
You have no idea, Sirius thought.  
  
"In all those trashy romance novels Muggles read, it's supposed to be about something deeper. But they never tell you what that is. All they tell you is that the people see each other and it's love at first sight. But can you really fall in love at first sight?"  
  
"Isn't that where the attraction starts, though?"  
  
"Well, yeah, an attraction. Sure. But attraction is only the first step. I mean – if someone fell in love with me, they'd have to learn to accept everything about me. Including my monthly habit." Remus looked slightly depressed as he mentioned that. "I don't know anyone who would be willing to accept that. Having to put up with the prejudice of being the partner of someone who turns into a monster once a month."  
  
"Moony, there are people out there who will still love you. I mean, your friends didn't abandon you when they found out, did they? We're still here for you. It's not that big a deal."  
  
"Yeah, but if someone was willing to spend their entire life with me, imagine what that would mean for them."  
  
"If someone was in love with you, that wouldn't matter to them." Trust me, Sirius added silently.  
  
Remus sighed and leant back. "What is the most romantic thing you would ever do for someone?"  
  
Sirius was taken aback. "Uh...well, I suppose marriage is pretty romantic when you think about it."  
  
Remus looked at him. "Marriage?"  
  
"Well – the declaration of wanting to spend your life with one person, to give yourself completely to someone with a promise to never be unfaithful? That's pretty romantic, I think."  
  
"Yeah – when you look at it like that."  
  
"Listen to us – crapping on like philosophical people. Let's go find Lily and James and see what they're up to." Sirius was eager to leave before he ended up giving away his biggest secret ever. Now would have been an ideal time to tell him, but something told him that now wasn't right for the both of them. There would come a time when he would be ready to tell, and Remus would be ready to listen.  
  
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TBC  
  
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A/N: See? You didn't have to wait all that long...But I'm not sure if this chapter really worked. Review and tell me if you thought it did or didn't, I'd really appreciate knowing what you guys think. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed:  
  
EvilPilgrim: Don't sound so excited. :P Kidding. Thanks for the review gal, love you lots!  
  
Kittyminky: tell me about it! Wouldn't you love to switch places with him and have Sirius all to yourself?! Thanks! I'm really glad you like it! Thanks for reviewing!  
  
AffectedMangoO: Here's the next chapter, nice and quickly put up just for you. Really hope you like it – review and tell me! :P Thanks for your review!  
  
MelissaMoony: Stumbling blindly works if you get on good stories, doesn't it!!! How exactly do you stumble blindly though? I'm a lil confused...But I'm glad you stumbled on my story and I'm even more glad that you liked it! Please keep reading and reviewing, and keep me posted on how it's going!  
  
TTF: I'm sorry! :P lol well, at least I know someone likes my story a lot!!! Thanks so much for your review, it made me giggle. Here's your new chapter – hope you still like what I'm writing!  
  
Ickle Ronnie: Wow – thank you! I love being complimented! :D I hope it continues to get better, but fingers crossed that it doesn't get worse, anyway!!!  
  
GrimyGrunhildaGrunt: Wow, your name was so hard to get the spelling right. :P Yeah, isn't James the cutest? I love making his character up – He's just so cute! Thank you so much for your review! Hope you continue to like it. And no, you didn't break anything...at least not anything I needed straight away. :P 


	8. James's Dilemma

Title: Delicate Treasures  
  
Author: Stardrops  
  
Genre: Romance  
  
Rating: PG 13 (For slash and occasional swearing, precautions only)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter. I do, however, own the plot. I am very proud. But the rest belongs to our creative genius, J K Rowling.  
  
Chapter Eight: James's Dilemma  
  
James didn't tear himself away from Lily until four in the morning. Remus and Sirius walked with him and Lily to the Gryffindor Common Room and stood awkwardly to the side as Lily and James took their time saying good night. When they finally parted, Remus and Sirius dragged him upstairs to the dormitory and attempted to get the details.  
  
"All right, Prongs. What happened?" Remus demanded.  
  
"Yeah, spill! How in holy hell did you manage to snog Lily Evans?" Sirius asked in amazement.  
  
James grinned. "With my charm and personality, obviously."  
  
Sirius and Remus groaned. James sighed and rolled his eyes, relenting.  
  
"Okay, fine. Well...I told her that she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen and that combined with her amazing personality, spirit and intelligence; she was the most incredible being that ever existed. I think that buttered her up a bit."  
  
Remus and Sirius began hollering and whacking James on the back.  
  
"You softie!" Sirius said, grinning.  
  
"Who would have though Prongs had the heart – and the will – to say something so sweet?!" Remus joked.  
  
"Hey, shut up! I didn't see either of you two with anyone!"  
  
"Why would we need anyone? We got all the entertainment we needed from you and Lily!" replied Sirius gleefully.  
  
James groaned. "I'm going to sleep." He pulled the curtains around him and the covers up over his head. Within minutes he was asleep, his gentle snores filling the room.  
  
Remus and Sirius glanced at each other and chuckled. "That was totally worth it," said Sirius, getting beneath the covers of his own bed. He glanced over at Remus who was still standing at the window and staring out at the brilliant morning sky.  
  
"It'll be morning soon," Remus announced. "The sun will probably be rising within the next hour."  
  
"Remus – you're not going to stay up all night just to watch the bloody sun come up are you? Come on man! It's winter! It's bloody cold outside and inside."  
  
"Yes, I believe that is why they light fires in the common rooms. Besides, I'm a wizard. Don't you think I'm perfectly capable of warming myself?" Remus said shortly.  
  
Sirius sighed. "Fine, stay up if you must."  
  
Remus turned. "I'll be in the common room."  
  
Sirius watched him leave the room. His back was strangely bent, like he was carrying a secret that was weighing down on him more than usually that night. Sirius was struck with a vision of Remus sitting in one of the comfortable armchairs in the common room, silver moonlight from the half moon spilling over his face as he watched the night pass by himself. Sirius threw the covers off him. He didn't want Remus to have to spend the night by himself on New Years, especially if something was bothering him.  
  
But then, he reasoned with himself, what would happen if Remus had wanted some time to himself particularly tonight, perhaps to mull over whatever was troubling him. He didn't want to interrupt if Remus wanted to be by himself. Maybe he would let Remus have just an hour to himself. Once the sun began to rise, Sirius would go out and share the dawn with his best friend.  
  
Sirius sank back down onto his bed. He didn't dare lie down; he knew if he shut his eyes for more than a few seconds, sleep would claim him for probably half the day. Instead, he wearily splashed his eye with water from his wand and reached for the photograph album he kept hidden in his lowest drawer. He'd never told anyone about this album – it was his secret.  
  
Pulling out an old red book that was ragged and stained, Sirius ran his finger over the cover lovingly. No matter how disgusting the old book looked, he would never part with it, nor could he bring himself to alter its appearance in any way. His aunt – one of the few relations he had that didn't completely condemn him for not following the ways of the Dark Lord, had given it to him.  
  
Inside were all the magical, moving photographs he'd ever taken or been given of himself and his four best friends. There weren't very many, but they were all equally beautiful, showing how much fun and, occasionally, trouble the four got into.  
  
Most prized out of all of them were the two photos right at the back of the album. One was of himself and James on their broomsticks – James's mother had taken that at James's house one summer and given it to Sirius. The second was a photograph that James himself had taken of Sirius and Remus. Sirius stared down at this photo for several minutes, watching the moving Remus laugh and shove the photographic Sirius, who was playfully shoving back. A small smile crept across the real Sirius's lips as he watched Remus's clear brown eyes dance and sparkle happily. There was a slight breeze blowing in the background of the picture: their hair was ruffled slightly and their cloaks were flapping about.  
  
Sirius closed the album and place it back carefully in its drawer. He knew that if by some absurd chance, any of his friends were looking through his drawers and they found the book, they wouldn't think anything of it. It looked perfectly innocent, like a novel from Muggle London back when people bought books that were covered with fabric.  
  
The time on James's watch read 5:30. He'd given Remus forty-five minutes to be by himself, and now he rose once more from his warm and comfortable bed, grabbed a thick black cloak to drape over his shoulders and descended the stairs to the common room.  
  
At first when he entered, he couldn't see anyone, and thought for a moment that Remus had left Gryffindor Tower altogether. But when his gaze turned, he saw Remus lying back in a comfortable armchair in front of the window. His eyes were closed and he was fast asleep.  
  
Sirius smiled and silently joined Remus at the window. He seated himself in another armchair and contented himself by watching Remus sleep. There was an expression of peace on his face, but Sirius noticed little worry lines around Remus's forehead and knew that beneath the cheery exterior, there was something bothering Remus that he didn't seem to want to tell.  
  
Sirius was quite happy to watch Remus sleep. He sat back for a good half hour as the skyline began to brighten and the first signs of daylight approached. The black sky softened into a deep, dark blue and a yellow orange line appeared on the horizon. The light from the rising sun shone off Remus's hair, and Sirius could not draw his glance away from the beautiful boy who lay sleeping so close to him. Almost involuntarily, his hand reached out and smoothed back the stray locks of Remus's hair, and Sirius left his chair to kneel next to Remus.  
  
The floor was cold and hard, but Remus's face was warm as Sirius traced gently around his eyes and mouth. He softly placed a feather light kiss on Remus's cheek, which was velvety and smooth. In his sleep, the boy sighed softly, and Sirius noticed that he was clenching his fists very tightly. Sirius reached a tender hand to Remus's fingers, and stroked his knuckles lightly. Remus seemed to relax beneath the touch and his hands loosened the fists enough for Sirius to link with his own hand.  
  
Turning to look out the window, the sun had almost fully risen. The sky was pale but filled with pastel colours in the early morning, and the grounds shimmered with white glittering snow. There was serenity about the moment, and Sirius smiled as his eyes met once more the sleeping face of Remus.  
  
Releasing Remus's hand, he shrugged out of his cloak and placed it over Remus's torso, tucking it in around the sides so Remus wouldn't feel the cold draft that was circulating through the room. With one last glance at him, Sirius left the common room, shivering, and crept back into bed.  
  
--------------------------------  
  
When Sirius woke, Remus's bed was still empty. It was about midday, and Sirius groaned as the bright sunlight hit his eyes. He'd forgotten to draw the curtains around his bed, and really could not be bothered to do it now. Instead, he wearily threw back the covers one again, thrust his feet reluctantly into his slippers and with a start realised that James's bed was empty also.  
  
He looked around for his cloak and remembered how he'd left it with Remus. Leaving the room, he wondered where his friends were. As he entered the common room, his question was answered, for Remus, James and Peter all sat around the fire with a large quantity of marshmallows, and were toasting them on long metal skewers.  
  
When he entered, the three of them looked up and grinned. "Good morning, sleepy head!" James teased. "Had a late night, did we?"  
  
"Shut up," Sirius replied grumpily. He knew his eyes would be bloodshot, and there would probably be dark circles beneath them from his lack of sleep.  
  
Remus noticed his goosepimpled arms, and immediately relinquished the cloak that he was wearing. "Here, have your cloak back." He handed it to Sirius with a smile. "Thanks for the lend, though, it was a bit cold last night."  
  
Sirius refused to take it. "No, you'd better keep it, it's still cold in here. Besides, I don't feel the cold."  
  
Remus lifted an eyebrow and looked pointedly at the goosepimples that rose on Sirius's forearms. "You're wearing a t-shirt. At least I'm wearing a jumper. Come on, take the cloak."  
  
Sirius grudgingly took the cloak. "Thank you," he said. Remus returned to his place on the carpet. Sirius noticed James looking at him oddly. "What?" he asked in confusion. There was a little essence of comprehension dawning on James's face as though he'd realised something.  
  
"Huh? Oh – nothing!" James replied hurriedly and returned to his marshmallow roasting.  
  
"Come join us," Peter invited. Sirius accepted the invitation and sat down beside Peter, picking up a marshmallow and spearing it with a skewer.  
  
The conversation was mostly about the whereabouts of Peter the previous night, and a lot of discussion about Lily and James's new relationship.  
  
About half an hour later, the four of them were groaning and clutching their stomachs.  
  
"Whose brilliant idea was it to eat marshmallows for breakfast?" James moaned, glaring at the marshmallows remaining as though it were somehow their fault.  
  
"It was yours," Peter reminded him.  
  
"Oh yeah..." James trailed off.  
  
"Can we please go eat some normal food?" Remus pleaded.  
  
"I'm with Moony," Peter said. Sirius nodded. The four of them trudged through the portrait hole and down to the kitchens. James and Peter went inside and were immediately served by house elves. Remus and Sirius were left standing outside together. Sirius was feeling rather awkward after the previous night. He really hoped that Remus had been asleep – how embarrassed he would be if Remus had only pretended to be asleep so as not to humiliate Sirius.  
  
"So you came down after me last night?" Remus asked Sirius with a grin.  
  
"Yeah...I gave hour forty-five minutes to yourself then decided to plague your peace with my existence. Unfortunately for me, you were already asleep. That spoiled the fun a little bit."  
  
Remus smiled shyly. "Why didn't you wake me up?"  
  
Sirius paused. "Well – you looked so incredibly handsome in that light that I couldn't wake you," he replied, pretending to tease Remus. He'd never have to tell him that he wasn't in fact being sarcastic.  
  
Remus shoved him in the side playfully. "Well, I missed the sunrise anyway, so you should have woken me, no matter how handsome I looked." His eyes were wide and mischievous as he said the last few words, and Sirius snorted.  
  
At this point, James and Peter came out bearing lots of delicious, freshly baked pastries which they distributed evenly between the four of them. It didn't take them long to devour the still warm breads – no crumbs were left by the time they reached the common room again. Peter ducked off once more, claiming he needed to go to the library for some reason or another.  
  
Remus and Sirius reached the portrait hole first, James bounding happily down behind them. Catching sight of Lily Evans sitting by herself on the couch beside the window looking blissfully absorbed in her thick book, James's smile broadened. He immediately began striding purposefully towards her.  
  
"This is going to be interesting..." muttered Sirius to Remus. Remus nodded and strained to listen as James reached the couch where Lily sat and began to speak to the occupant.  
  
"Hey, Lil - ," James began, but Lily, upon noticing him, looked up with a startled gasp and promptly accidentally dropped her huge book on his foot.  
  
"Holy fucking crap!" James howled. Remus and Sirius snorted with barely concealed laughter as James hopped on the spot for a moment, rubbing his foot and glaring at the large book that lay innocently on the floor beside his evidently throbbing ankle.  
  
Lily stared at it with a completely expressionless face as though she hadn't even noticed the pain she'd just caused James, and then got up to stand next to him. He let go of his foot and attempted a smile. "How are you on this fine, beautiful morning - "  
  
"James – about last night," Lily interrupted. "I'm really sorry about what happened."  
  
"You're - what?" James said, clearly taken aback. Remus and Sirius slowly ceased laughing as what Lily was saying sank into their comprehension. They stood and watched confusedly in the corner out of Lily's line of vision.  
  
Lily was standing and looking James earnestly in the eyes – a more civil glance than she'd ever given him before, save for the previous night when they'd been glued to each others faces. "Yes, I really didn't mean to – well – do that. Let's just pretend it never happened, shall we?" Lily's tone was matter of fact and slightly brisk, very businesslike and completely oblivious to James's sputtering of bewilderment.  
  
"But - " James began, but Lily interrupted him once more.  
  
"I'm really sorry about it; I just got really caught up in the moment. It won't happen again, I promise." She gave him a very sincere smile and waited for his reply.  
  
"It won't?" James said unhappily.  
  
She gave him a half smile and picked up her book from the floor. "I promise. Never." Rising, she gave him a quick one-armed hug and started to leave. Over her shoulder, she called, "Thank you for being so understanding, James. I'll see you around sometime."  
  
With that last comment, she left through the portrait hole, carrying her impossibly thick and heavy book with her. James turned to Remus and Sirius with an expression of complete incomprehension.  
  
"What – why – huh?" he sputtered.  
  
Sirius and Remus slowly walked forward to join him in the centre of the room, both also puzzled but feeling sorry for their friend. Remus squeezed James's shoulder bracingly and Sirius patted him awkwardly on the back.  
  
"What just happened?" James finally managed to ask, his cheeks a violent shade of red.  
  
Sirius and Remus looked at each other in alarm. "Well – er...I think Lily just took back what happened last night," Sirius said quietly.  
  
James stood silently in the middle of the room, staring straight ahead at the spot where Lily had sat only a few moments before.  
  
"Oh," he replied miserably.  
  
"Don't worry, mate," Remus comforted him. "I read lots of Muggle books, they're always behaving like this. Something happens between them and someone they like, and they're immediately uncomfortable. Then, if you at completely normal, but give them time to get over what happened and become human again, they'll be yours again in no time."  
  
"You really think so?" asked James, his expression hopeful.  
  
Remus and Sirius looked at each other. "Yeah – sure," Sirius replied quickly. "Just be a friend to her, Prongs, and stop continuously asking her out."  
  
Remus nodded and slung an arm over James's shoulder. "Let's go have a game of Quidditch," he suggested. James brightened immediately and he agreed, scampering up the stairs with Remus to collect their broomsticks.  
  
"Coming, Padfoot?" James called over his shoulder.  
  
"Yeah, in a minute!" Sirius smiled at the sight of Remus and James retreating. That was something he loved about Remus. No matter what had happened, he could always comfort whoever it was that needed it, and could distract them by remembering the simplest things that always evaded Sirius's mind whenever it came to having to comfort someone.  
  
There was no doubt about it – Remus was an incredible guy.  
  
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TBC  
  
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A/N: Poor James. The things I put him through. Arent I cruel.

Grimy Grunhilda Grunt: Yay! Thank you! Well, James can't be a lil pushie to Lily cos Lily wont talk to him. :P hehehe im so evil.

ickle ronnie: i like you! lol you keep my ego boosted. i hope it continues to your standard!

Isis Fire Dancer: Thank you! wow - i hope you continue to like my story, and i love your name by the way!

Seraphina Pyra: Well, I'm very glad you stumbled across it! Hope you continue to like it!

MelissaMoony: Of course. How stupid of me. :P Kidding! Well, thank you for your compliments! I hope you continue to like/love......:P

TTF: Thanks! Lol, that made me giggle anyway! I was going to make Sirius tell him....but the timing wasnt right. so...yeah. sorri about that. hope you still like it!

neutrons: he might eventually. i wont keep him hanging forever! but yes, yes i am cruel and a meanie. hangs head in shame well, it must work cos you reviewed! so thanks for your review, and i will give you a hot remus sirius makeout...soon. :P

Piper13: My dear Piper. Sorri to break your heart, but Lily and James aren't happily ever after yet. :P note - i said yet. that means something. ;) and dont worry, eventually he will. but for the time being...i am going to fill their lives with misunderstanding and angst! hehehe

Waffle Avenger: I'm very glad! Thank you!


	9. Observant James

Title: Delicate Treasures  
  
Author: Stardrops  
  
Genre: Romance  
  
Rating: PG 13 (For slash and occasional swearing, precautions only)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter. I do, however, own the plot. I am very proud. But the rest belongs to our creative genius, J K Rowling.

Chapter Nine: Observant James

The day passed quickly, James and Sirius dominated the Quidditch pitch while Remus watched from below, claiming that he didn't feel like flying that day. James kept throwing sly glances at Sirius.

"So." He threw the Quaffle into the air, aiming past Sirius who was too fast and snatched the ball before it even flew past his shoulder.

"So what?" Sirius replied, throwing the Quaffle high over James's head who flipped over in the air in a spectacular somersault before catching the ball in the tips of his fingers.

"Busy night?" James asked innocently, swooping below Sirius and throwing the ball with all his might towards the hoops that Sirius was supposed to be guarding. Sirius purposely let the ball fall towards the ground before chasing after it – it gave him a moment to think. He felt a sudden chill at James's teasing but slightly serious tone. There could be no doubt about it, James knew something about him. Could it be – no, that was impossible. No one knew.

He spiraled back to join James. "No busier than yours, I'm sure." He threw the Quaffle hard at James, who caught it easily and held it to his chest as he flew towards Sirius slowly, beckoning for Sirius to do the same.

"You followed Moony."

"So what?" Sirius shivered. This was creepy. For someone who seemed so happily dumb to everything around him sometimes, James was surprisingly observant when it came to things Sirius really – REALLY – did not want him to figure out.

"Sirius, you can't fool me. I'm your best mate. Tell me the truth. Do you swing the other way?"

Sirius swallowed. "What do you mean?"

James rolled his eyes and gave Sirius a don't-play-dumb-with-me look. "Are you gay?"

Sirius widened his eyes as convincingly as he could. "No!"

James cocked his head and looked at him skeptically.

Sirius relented. "Maybe?"

James raised one eyebrow and tapped his finger on the ball which he still held.

Sirius groaned. "Okay fine. Yes, James, I bat for the other team."

James shook his head in wonder. "Why didn't you ever say something?"

Sirius chuckled dryly. "James, you are going to be so awkward around me now, and I knew that this would make everything different between us, so I didn't want to tell you."

"But it's not me that you fancy," James told him.

Sirius snorted. "I knew that."

"So why would that make us weird?"

Sirius paused. "Because..."

James nodded. "See?" He briefly clapped a hand on Sirius's shoulder as best he could without falling off his broom. "Padfoot, there's nothing wrong with homosexuality. You realise that, don't you?"

Sirius's eyes darted quickly to where Remus was standing and then back. "People are going to be weird around me when they find out."

"I bet you they won't be," James countered. "They'll probably be interested but not disgusted or anything. Anyway, this isn't about them. This is about you. And Remus."

Sirius's head shot up. "What?" he barked.

James sat slightly back on his broom. "It's not me you fancy. It's Remus."

Sirius tried to laugh, but his voice came out in a hoarse, unconvincing cough. "W-what are you talking about?"

The Quaffle sat forgotten in James's arms as he shot a look at Remus before looking back at Sirius. "Come on. Don't think I haven't noticed."

"Noticed what?"

"The way you look at him. The smile that lights up your face whenever he says something nice to you. You don't give him half as much crap as you give me and Peter. You've hardly looked at a female since fifth year as far as I've noticed. And besides – the little things you do that no one else notices? They're so unlike the Sirius Black you always pretend to be that it makes them conspicuous to me."

Sirius swallowed. "Is it really that obvious?" he asked, aghast.

James smiled knowingly. "Only to me."

There was a slight pause, broken only by the whistle of the wind against their broom tails in the air. "You haven't told him?" Sirius asked, his voice breaking.

"No."

Sirius looked at James. "How long have you known?"

James pondered for a moment. "Probably subconsciously for about a year. Consciously, about an hour."

Sirius stared at him. "You figured it out because I gave Remus a cloak to keep him warm?"

James shrugged. "It's the little things that count." Another pause silenced their conversation. "When are you going to tell him?"

"Who says I'm going to?" countered Sirius.

James snorted. "You've fancied the bloke for ages, haven't you? You're not seriously telling me that you aren't going to tell him how you feel." Sirius was silent. "Are you?" Sirius remained silent. "Padfoot! No! You can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"Because!" James spluttered. "If you let this go, are you going to look back and regret it later?"

Sirius thought for a moment. His gaze strayed yet again to where Remus stood, no longer watching them but reading another book from his large collection. He couldn't help a little smile taking control of his features. Looking back up, he noticed James was watching him.

"Yes. I think I will regret it," Sirius replied in a voice so soft it was almost lost upon the wind.

"Then tell him." James was looking at Sirius with such a brotherly look that Sirius had an urge to reach out and hug him. He didn't however; he thought that given the fact James had just figured that Sirius was homosexual, that the contact might be unwelcome.

"When the time is right." Sirius stopped talking for a moment. "Anyway, what are you going to do about the situation with Lily?"

James shrugged. "There's nothing I can do, I guess. I'm just going to have to follow your advice. Maybe for once in your life, you'll actually be right."

"I wouldn't count on that," said Sirius, winking.

"No, judging by your track record, neither would I," James replied playfully. He sighed. "Why is it always so hard with girls? At least you sort of know what Remus is thinking. I have no bloody idea what goes through the heads of girls. They are a complete mystery. Why on earth do they feel the need to constantly apply that shiny stuff to their lips?"

Sirius shrugged.

"I suppose it does look kinda nice," James admitted, "but the whole thing seems utterly pointless because it has to be done so many times a day!"

A smile crept over Sirius's face and he shook his head, rolling his eyes. "You think of the most random things sometimes, Prongs."

James took a mock bow in midair, and almost fell off his broom. The Quaffle fell from his arms and sailed towards the ground. Neither boy made a move to retrieve it.

"Have we had enough Quidditch?" Sirius asked.

James thought. "I think we have," he answered. As he made to descend, Sirius grabbed his arm and halted him.

"You won't tell him? Will you? You won't tell anyone?" he asked desperately.

Clapping a hand to his heart, James promised, "This is your thing to tell who you want, when you want. I won't tell anyone."

Sirius breathed out in a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

James paused for a second. "But I reckon you should just walk up to Remus and pash him and see what his reaction is."

Sirius stared at James, openmouthed. "What?"

James shrugged. "It'd be rather interesting, don't you think?"

Sirius shook his head. "He'd think I was insane."

"He wouldn't be far wrong."

Sirius punched him playfully in the arm and the two friends descended slowly.

"Thanks for not being all weird about it, Prongs," Sirius said in a moment of surprising solemnity. James turned to him in surprise.

"How could I be weird about it? You're my best mate."

By that time, they'd reached the ground and Remus was walking to join them, so their conversation hastily changed to one less suspicious. Sirius, however, did not miss the sly glance that James sent him when Remus walked on the other side of the two so Sirius was in the middle.

It was late in the afternoon, and Sirius was thinking long and hard about what James had just told him. It was very unlike James to say something so deep and unsarcastic for such a long period of time. Come to think of it, it was rather out of character for any of the Marauders to be so empathic.

He had never been so glad to have the Marauders.

James had drifted off to sleep on his bed. As they'd entered the common room, Lily and her friends had been sitting by the window on a sofa, examining a Muggle magazine and giggling, occasionally blurting out random things like, "He's so hot!" and "What a tart – who wears that sort of thing?" James's look of longing as he watched Lily laugh was enough to make anyone sympathetic to his cause. He'd said nothing as they'd walked up to their dormitories, stoutly ignored by every girl in Lily's close circle, and told them shortly that he was going to take a small nap.

Sirius wondered where Remus had gone. As soon as James had drifted off to sleep, Remus had whispered to Sirius that he had to go somewhere, and left without giving Sirius time to ask where or to invite himself along.

Slipping out of the room, he wandered out into the common room where the girls were still sitting, but the magazine was no longed the center of attention. They all seemed to be engrossed in whatever it was that Lily was telling them. As soon as Sirius appeared, their conversation stopped. The common room was otherwise empty, and Sirius maintained an awkward silence with their clique for a short moment before nodding curtly in Lily's direction and exiting as smoothly as he dared.

He could hear their whispers and giggles start up again as soon as he was out of the portrait hole. Pressing his ear up against the wall, ignoring the protests of the Fat Lady, he listened with all his might but could only catch a few words at a time.

A burst of giggles met his ear and he cringed. He hated it when girls giggled. It seemed the equivalent to male burping – extremely irritating to the opposite sex.

"What was it like?" he heard one of Lily's friends ask in a hushed tone.

"...kinda nice...for a few...it only..." Sirius frowned and moved his ear along the wall. Surely there was a better way to eavesdrop than this. He could barely hear what Lily was saying at all.

"...it's James!" he heard another girl squeal. "He's supposed to be the best kisser in Gryffindor!"

Even from behind the wall, he could imagine Lily's cheeks going red. "Well, I suppose he's not too bad," he heard her admit. An evil smirk spread across his face. He listened harder.

"...not too bad!...other girls say he's amazing..."

"Yes, okay, he was...kinda...amazing," Lily admitted. Sirius nearly jumped into the air with elation and mirth. He turned with a wide grin for a second to see Remus standing behind him with a very confused expression. He really did jump at that, and flattened himself against the wall with a terrified and guilty look on his face.

"What are you doing?" Remus asked, completely bewildered.

Sirius hung his head. "Eavesdropping."

Remus tutted. Pausing for a second, he looked both ways to see if anyone was coming, and then leaned closer. "Hear anything good?"

Sirius smirked and beckoned for Remus to follow him. "We have some good news for James, I believe," he said, grinning.

Sirius had been absolutely right. James's mood was greatly improved by the news that Lily had definitely enjoyed herself on New Years.

"So...why is she acting all weird?"

Remus threw his hands into the air. "She's a girl! They're all weird!"

James paced up and down the dormitory.

"So...she did enjoy herself, but yet she's not interested in seeing me again. That girl is either a player, playing hard to get, or simply wanted a pash on New Years. Please tell me it's not the last one." James sank onto his bed with a groan.

"Dude, the first one and the last one are almost exactly the same. And neither sounds anything like Lily Evans. I reckon she's playing hard to get." Sirius examined his nails as he spoke until he realised that what he was doing and hastily stopped.

Remus agreed. "It's not like Lily to simply pash someone because she could. She doesn't take advantage of people. But I think it may be more complicated than that for her. Girls are much more emotional than us, we all know that." He was answered by vigorous nods from both the other boys. "Right, so maybe she's suffering extremely complicated emotions and just needs time to think things through. Don't lose hope, Prongs."

James nodded to his two friends gratefully. "Thanks, guys."

TBC

A/N: I know. Terrible place to leave off at. But it's been so long since I updated and I'd hit writers block at this point that I decided just to update anyway. Hope you like it. I am aware that James is a little girly with his acceptance of Sirius's sexuality, but contrary to popular belief, guys are capable of being understanding and sensitive to each others feelings. And that is how I imagined James would react to figuring out Sirius's sexuality.

Sorry it's taken so long as well, I had a cold for a week and then I was better for three days and promptly came down with the flu, so I haven't had a good couple of weeks. With all the work school is piling on because it's mid-term, it's pretty much killing me! Almost the end of winter though – no more cold! Yay!

All my reviewers are wonderful angelic people!

**Grimy Grunhilda Grunt**: Awwwwww, don't throw too many onions and pickles at her. She's just being a normal female. :P I actually really loved writing that, James was hilarious to imagine. grins

**Ickle Ronnie**: Excellent. Let me know if I slip up, okay?

**Prongs1**: Oooh, three reviews! Thank you! I'm glad you are liking my story, please continue to read and review it! Let me know if there's anything you'd like me to change or add in, okay?

**LythTaeraneth**: 1: Thank you! 2: Okay, mental note taken. :D 3: Your wish is my command!

**I love Moony 04**: Hehehehe only times? Surely more than that!...Aren't they the cutest people? squeals they're so adorable to imagine as a couple. I love writing this fic. :D And no, you're not insane, the 'James dawning comprehension' thing is definitely right, as you'll see in this chapter. He's not as thick as he seems :P Wow, I'm glad you follow it so closely! I hope it continues to your likings :D

**Raven Mistress: **lol I'm sorry! The Remus/Sirius fluffy goodness will come in good time, be patient :P I'm so glad you love my story! hugz ravenmistress and I hope I didn't kill you too badly...

**RoschLupinBlack: **I know. The pain I put him through. Sigh. :P Thank you!

**StolenSoul4818: **Meeples? I love that!!! What does it mean exactly? Chipmunks, hey? Interesting thought. :P Why haven't you slept in 48 hours?! You insane person. I love sleep. Thanks heaps for your review! smiles

**Piper13: **I know. Aren't I just horrible? I'm sorry about that. He'll survive though. Hehehehe. Yeah, they can be adorable. I really want to write more fluffy stuff, but first we have to actually get through the Lily/James crap, so it may be another chapter unless I can shuffle things around a bit.

**MelissaMoony: **It is a pretty good example, hey?! Lol I felt so mean for writing that, but at the same time, I loved making his life so evilly complicated. laughs wickedly

**Seraphina Pyra: **Thank you! Here's more for you! :D

**IsisFireDancer: **You're welcome. He's absolutely adorable – all the Marauders are except for Peter who I really dislike, so I kinda shove him out of the way a little :P Hope ur still liking my story!


	10. The Approach To Valentine's Day

Title: Delicate Treasures

Author: Stardrops

Genre: Romance

Rating: PG 13 (For slash and occasional swearing, precautions only)

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter. I do, however, own the plot. I am very proud. But the rest belongs to our creative genius, J K Rowling.

Chapter 10: The Approach to Valentines Day

The weather was muggy and miserable, but the snow had stopped falling and the promised rain had not yet hit. The grounds were still damp with the hail that had been falling along with the snow the past few weeks, and the sun was hidden behind grey clouds. James and Sirius were sitting beneath a tree by the frozen lake, watching the birds landing on the ice and looking remarkably startled at the realisation that they were sitting on something solid rather than liquid. James sat on the soggy ground using Sirius's jacket as a groundsheet. Sirius noticed after a few minutes and groaned.

"James, that is my jacket you're sitting on."

James looked at the thick, warm fabric he was sitting on and then looked up at Sirius again, completely unconcerned and unmoved by Sirius pointing out this obvious fact. "Yeah, I know that."

Sirius shook his head and went back to tracing a twig through a tiny patch of mud beside him. He was sitting on the ground without anything to protect his arse, so he could feel the unpleasant cold sogginess beginning to soak through his trousers, but he was so frustrated with himself that he didn't really care.

Valentines Day was fast approaching, and while Sirius wanted to do something special for Remus, he couldn't think of anything. And nor could he think of a way to reveal to Remus that he fancied him.

It wasn't that he couldn't think of a way, really. It was more that he was just too much of a chicken. And it was driving him completely mad.

"What are you doing for Moony for Valentines then?" asked James.

Sirius blinked, momentarily scared silly at the thought of James being able to somehow read his mind before remembering that Valentine's would be at the top of James's mind since Lily began acting so strange. "What?" James always astounded him with his ability to make even the strangest of subjects as easy to talk about as what to have for dinner. It was a rare quality that made James so good with people.

James looked up once again, frowning. "I'm pretty sure you understood that, but I'll repeat it anyway. Are you doing anything special for Moony on Valentine's Day?"

Sirius shrugged. "I've been thinking about it, but nothing really springs to mind." He stopped drawing with the twig for a moment and raised an eyebrow at James. "What about you? Thought of anything to do that might woo your precious Lily?"

James shrugged and sighed theatrically. "It's hopeless. She's never going to fall for the Potter charm. It's such a bugger, but there's nothing I can do to make her see that I'm the one she should be with."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Oh, god, don't get all girly on me. Lily Evans is nothing more than a challenge. She's not better than you, and she is certainly not … whats the word? … unattainable? Yeah, that's the one. Look, just figure out something sweet and romantic to do. She's a chick."

James nodded miserably. "That's the point. They're so bloody confusing." He looked up at Sirius again and poked a leaf in his direction. "You're lucky you fancy a guy. At least you can understand pretty much what they're thinking!"

Sirius froze for a moment and looked around, terrified that someone might have heard. "For god's sake, Prongs! Keep your damn voice down!"

James shrugged. "I don't know why you're making such a big deal out of it, frankly. It's not that big a thing."

Sirius sighed sadly. "Not to you, thankfully. But to other people, it is a big deal. I'll be avoided by vast numbers of the male population of Hogwarts if people find out, James. Homosexuality isn't as widely accepted yet as we'd like. It's still somewhat taboo. Don't forget what they used to do to homosexual wizards back when capital punishment was still in."

James bit his lip thoughtfully. "But it's not all the other people you worry about. You couldn't care less if they knew, Sirius. The thought of the male population avoiding you isn't as scary as you pretend, because the only people you really care about are the people that are all for this kind of thing. And the only person you really want to be accepting of it is Remus – who is the kindest bloke you'll ever meet."

Sirius smiled. "Yeah, I guess."

"Then why are you worrying so much?"

Sirius shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I just know that for now, I'd really rather it was only between you and I. I just don't think I could cope with the weirdness."

James nodded. "Well, whatever you think is necessary."

"Are you guys bitching about me as usual?" came a voice behind them. An all too familiar voice. Sirius panicked inwardly as he turned to see Remus standing behind them, half hidden behind the trunk they were both leaning against. James looked equally as shocked to see him, and looked guiltily at Sirius.

"Everything all right?" asked Remus, looking a little concerned at their guilty and panicking faces. "Did I interrupt something important?"

Sirius slowly relaxed inwardly. If Remus had heard, he surely would have been sitting down to discuss it more seriously and solemnly than he was now.

"Nah, mate. Join us," he invited, patting the wet grass beside him. Remus wrinkled his nose a little, but sat down anyway.

"So you doing anything for anyone for Valentine's then, Moony?" asked James, glancing ever so slyly at Sirius.

Remus pulled a face and slumped his shoulders. "Nah. There's no one to try and impress this year. No one really lives up to my high expectations," he joked, winking at Sirius. Sirius forced a laugh, inwardly rejoicing that Remus didn't like anyone. However, the realisation that Moony definitely didn't fancy him then was a little harsh, but he reminded himself that since he didn't even think Moony was gay, the news that he didn't fancy anyone was more encouraging for him.

"Figured out what you're going to do for Lily?" Remus asked James. Sirius stifled a yawn as James went into the exact same theatrics he'd performed for Sirius. Remus was slightly more gentlemanly in his reaction, more understanding and sympathetic, rather than Sirius's impatient reaction. He sighed.

"What about you, Padfoot?" Remus asked, nudging him. "Normally you can't shut up about the next girl you're going after. Who is it this time?"

Sirius froze, frantically searching for something to say but coming up with nothing. He must have been placing too much pressure on his hand, because the twig snapped, cracking in the expectant pause.

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Um … I don't actually have any chicks in mind this year."

Remus looked completely disbelieving. "What do you mean? Sirius Black has finally filled his female quota?"

James sat silently, watching Sirius with what seemed even perhaps a little sadness behind his expression. He didn't like watching his best friends going through hard times. He was more observant than people gave him credit for, and he knew that Sirius was not only feeling awkward, but also angry and frustrated with himself. Any plans James had for making Sirius tell Remus earlier than he was comfortable with were completely out of the question. This was something that Sirius would have to do for himself.

Sirius opened his mouth momentarily and then shut it. He couldn't think of anything to say. Luckily at that moment, a figure came into view. It was Professor Soyle, the Herbology teacher. "Lupin!" she called. "I need a word quickly."

Remus nodded to her and got up immediately. "Sorry guys," he muttered. "See you later then."

He walked towards the teacher, who was evidently impressed with some piece of work he'd done. Remus was often asked to tutor other, younger students in Herbology as it was one of his best subjects.

Sirius watched him go, his face falling. He hung his head. James grabbed his shoulder.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up!" he urged. "You did good."

Sirius snorted and looked at the broken twig dejectedly. "I suck. I'll never be able to tell him. I mean, I will have to eventually. But that would have been a great opportunity. Why didn't I just take it?"

James patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry, man."

Sirius managed a small smile. "Thanks, Prongs." He gratefully lifted his eyes to look at James. "It means a lot to … James?" James's mouth was hanging open and his face was disbelieving and shocked. He was staring over Sirius's shoulder, so Sirius turned to see what the matter was.

Lily stood there, close to the lakes edge, happily watching the birds sliding about. She was coupled with a Ravenclaw boy called Steven. They were standing, in James's opinion, far too close together, and were apparently enjoying each others company a lot.

Sirius sucked in his breath and looked quickly at James before darting his eyes back to Lily and Steven. He was just in time to see Steven plant a quick kiss on Lily's cheek. James tensed up, and his face took on a look of determination and jealousy. He started to get up, his head held high and pain evident on his face.

"Hey! You can't go over there," Sirius hissed, grabbing James's arm and pulling him down to sit once more. "Do you want her to think you're desperate?!"

James looked pained. "I don't care what she thinks. I just want to punch that bloody jerk in the face. What a prat! He's totally moving in on my girl!"

Sirius grabbed James's chin and forced his face away from the sight. "First, James, she's not your girl. She never has been, and if you keep acting so possessive, she never will be! Evans is not going to fall for you if you act like a father. Just – for everyone's sake – attempt to just see her as a friend instead of a potential girlfriend. If she's got a boyfriend, be glad. That way you'll look much better in her eyes when they break up, cos quite frankly, no one can be as crazy about her as you are."

James thought about this for a moment, and then brightened. "Hey, you're kind of right … I think."

He ventured to look back over, but Lily and Steven were already walking away from the lake towards the castle. James was happy to see that there was no direct contact – he wasn't holding her hand or putting his arm around her – but they were walking very closely, and he could tell that Lily was laughing by the way her head was tilted back. He frowned and looked at the ground miserably.

Sirius didn't know what to say.

&&&

A/N: Hmmmm … this chapter was very long coming (I'm sorry!) and was entirely too short, but I thought I should at least update something. This was a little random, I didn't really plan for the story to go this way, but the chapter would otherwise have been reaaaaaally boring. I quite like putting James through all this crap with Lily. It makes everything so much more interesting.

I think there's a few of you getting impatient for some Remus/Sirius fluff, so perhaps I will put some more in. Of course, if I get lots of reviews requesting it, I shall be more inclined to put it in! ;) please review in other words!

Thanks go to all the people who reviewed the last chapter which was updated … holy crap! Last August! I'm so sorry! I'm mortified! The next chapter will be much faster, I promise!

Seraphina Pyra: Hehehehe I think he's perceptive. I'd like to think he'd be perceptive.

Miss Anonymous hp: Thank you! I really try to keep them sort of in character, but it can be difficult because they're not mentioned terribly much in the novels. However, this is my impression of them, and I'm really glad that they match yours! :D Hope you liked this new chapter.

Firesnake: I always thought Remus would be strong. He doesn't seem weak and needing. I like to think of them both as strong people who don't need others to keep them happy, but rather are with for love rather than need. It seems much more romantic. And I can't reveal anything yet, because that spoils the surprise. You'll know in due course :P

Grimy Grunhilda Grunt: Yeah, this chapter was a little lacking in action too I suppose. It's basically just a progression, sometimes you have to have boring chapters to get to the really good stuff. Besides, if it's really dramatic all the time, the drama loses its novelty! :D But I promise to speed up a little soon. Love back to you ma cherie!

Ickle Ronnie: Wow! You are awesome! :D You boost my ego like nothing else. I'm a very happy writer now. :D Updating soon just for you!

Isis Fire Dancer: Oh, Lily is going to be as mean as I can make her towards James. Not intentionally, of course, but she will give him hell before giving in. At least, if they do get together … oh that was lame wasn't it. Lol!

StolenSoul4818: Wow, a marriage proposal! How sweet! :D How many fanfic writers can say they've had them?! Hope this story continues to your standard! Hugs to you!

Eizoku: Exactly! I love the suspense it brings. Although, I suppose I can't be in suspense because I am writing it, but since I haven't written anything that's not on here, I don't know exactly what Remus is thinking either! :P

LythTaeraneth: Lol you're funny! I like you. :P

Evil Pilgrim: Stop making everything sound so complicated. This is fiction. It can be made up. That is one of the beautiful things about fiction. So there! :P Lol joking. Thanks, I shall try, but I really can't think of an ending to any of them. :S if you can, I would be happy to oblige! :P

Tiamante Salazar Tameran: Wow! Lots of reviews! Thank you! Lily was indeed being stupid, and she's being even more stupid now. It's James! He's so hot and sweet! Just kiss and make up already! … but she is determined to be stubborn. Sigh. :P

May: Well … perhaps not soon … but I did update! I'm really glad you liked it. Thanks for your review!


	11. More Confusion

Title: Delicate Treasures

Author: Stardrops

Genre: Romance

Rating: PG 13 (For slash and occasional swearing, precautions only)

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter. I do, however, own the plot. I am very proud. But the rest belongs to our creative genius, J K Rowling.

Chapter Eleven: More Confusion

Sirius chucked one shoe on the floor as hard as he could. He stared down at it, grumpily examining his handiwork. He raised his hand to throw the other down, but found he suddenly didn't even have the strength to throw it down. He dropped it, where it fell with a feeble thump, and he lay back on his bed with a sigh.

Rubbing his eyes, Sirius glanced at his watch. It was only seven. James and Peter were downstairs with Remus, playing a game of Exploding Snap. He'd pleaded not to join in, he just wanted to be by himself to think for a while.

Poor James, he thought. How hard it's got to be for him, with Lily constantly making him jealous and angry towards other males. Eventually, he knew, she would realise that she did in fact like him. She had to. She'd be nuts not to, in fact.

And he was nuts for thinking that Remus would ever think romantically about him.

Remus was so perfect – so handsome, clever, thoughtful and tactful. He knew everything to say at the right times, and was the best mate that Sirius had ever had besides James. He knew that if by some absurd chance, he were lucky enough to secure a place in Remus's heart romantically, he would cherish him forever. But he was never going to get that chance, and fooling himself into thinking that would be just setting himself up for disappointment.

The door to the dormitory slammed, and footsteps could be heard. They were slightly tentative, yet also curious. Sirius groaned. This had to be James – only James would have known that the reason Sirius had excused himself was to be alone to think about his lack of love life rather than simply for being tired.

Sirius rolled over onto his belly. "For fucks sake, James, please go away. I don't want to talk about it."

"Don't want to talk about what?"

Sirius's eyes shot open as he froze completely. The voice didn't belong to James at all – it was much quieter and more inquisitive than James's often impatient tone. Sirius cringed as he rolled over to meet the eyes of Remus Lupin.

"I – uh … I was expecting …" Sirius stuttered, unable to think of any smooth way out.

"James, obviously," Remus said, smiling. His eyebrows creased as he sat down beside Sirius. "What's up?"

Sirius edged away from him, feeling guilty at the close contact. It didn't seem right to be enjoying Remus's company so much when Remus had no idea about it. Well – at least no idea about the WAY that Sirius was enjoying Remus's company.

"Uh … nothing, really, I'm cool," he bluffed, trying desperately to come up with a way to stop Remus asking any more questions.

Remus snorted and gave Sirius a reproachful look. "Oh, come on. We're buddies, remember? You can tell me stuff."

Sirius's heart seemed to wrench itself inside his chest and he felt his breath hitch at the obvious word usage. Buddies. Only buddies.

Remus cocked his head and looked seriously at Sirius. "Are you having trouble in the romance department, by any chance?"

Sirius's neck cracked as he sat bolt upright. He winced, rubbing it. "What makes you say that?" he asked accusingly.

"Well," Remus began, "because you have the exact same look that James gets every time he's thinking about Lily. And every time I've seen you these past few weeks, you've had this pained, frustrated kinda look. What's going on, Padfoot?"

Sirius's heartbeat was picking up it's pace. Remus obviously wasn't going to buy any lies tonight. He didn't think he could think up any elaborate story that would satisfy Remus anyway. And since they were all alone … and James obviously had Peter down in the common room. Perhaps James had concocted this whole arrangement as an opportunity for Sirius to tell Remus. He had to admit, the timing was pretty good. Perhaps … just maybe … telling Remus the truth wasn't out of the question after all?

Sirius took a deep breath and cleared his throat. "Well, yeah. I guess I have been having a little trouble there."

Remus clapped his hands together. "I knew it! Now we're getting somewhere." He folded his hands and placed them in his lap as he paid his full attention to Sirius. "So," he said. "What's the problem, exactly?"

Sirius blinked rapidly. "Well … I … I like this person."

Remus nodded. "Yes, I gathered that much."

Sirius gulped. "And … I don't think they'll ever like me back."

Remus sat in expectant silence for a while, but Sirius offered no more. "Is that it?" Remus asked. When Sirius made no movement, Remus gave a short laugh. "Sirius! Come on! Any person has got to be mad not to want to go out with you. What makes you think that they won't like you anyway?"

"Well – I …" Sirius began. "Hey, wait a minute. What makes you so sure that they would like me?"

Remus pursed his lips for a moment. "Well," he started, dragging the word out as he thought. "You've got a great sense of humour, and you're really loyal. You're smart, and you aren't as big-headed as people are led to believe. Plus, you've got to admit – you're a bit of a spunk."

Sirius felt a slight flush rising in his cheeks at Remus's words, despite his desperate attempt to keep his pleasure hidden. So Remus really did think all those things about him? Wow – and he'd always assumed that Remus thought he was just an idiotic person who was good for a laugh.

"Well …" Sirius began, but Remus interrupted.

"Look, Padfoot, mate. You're being entirely too hard on yourself. Give this person a chance. Let them know that you like them, and see what they say. And if they don't return your feelings, they're obviously not worth it in the first place! What have you got to lose?"

Sirius sighed. "Because if they didn't return my feelings, I'm not sure I'd ever get over them."

Remus sat completely still, both eyebrows raised as he took in the fact that Sirius was being – well – serious. "You've never been like this with any of the other girls you've gone out with. Why is this one so special?"

Sirius took a deep breath and clenched his fist. It had to be now. It was the perfect opportunity, and he'd already wasted too many chances. Please, he prayed. Let him love me back.

"Because," he said, in a voice not much louder than a whisper, "I can't imagine living the rest of my life without them." Remus looked more and more intrigued every moment that Sirius was speaking. And once Sirius began, he just found himself unable to stop. "Every time I see them, I can't help smiling because they mean the world to me."

Remus stared at him, completely taken in by the change in Sirius. Where once a laughing, carefree teenager was was now a lonely, romantic man who was longing for someone to love and to love him. He swallowed and raised an eyebrow. "Who is it, Padfoot?"

Sirius breathed out a little and closed his eyes. "Look, it's …"

The door to the dormitory opened and Peter fell through the door, laughing and breathing heavily. He'd obviously just run from the common room, and was being chased by James. Sirius looked up, aghast, as they both collapsed into the room in a heap on the floor. Peter was busy laughing his head off, but James looked both distressed and guilty.

Sirius tried to swallow his disappointment. He could tell by James's face that he had been trying to prevent Peter from coming up here, a feat that had quickly changed into James chasing Peter in order to stop him from interrupting. He breathed deeply and cast a quick glance at Remus who was chuckling at the sight of Peter and James lying sprawled across the floor.

"What on earth are you doing, Wormtail?" Remus asked, getting up and going over to give them a hand to stand.

Peter smirked and flopped onto his bed. "Oh, James was trying to keep me away from all the action up here, and I outsmarted him. Well – I really outran him. And after all that, there wasn't even anything interesting happening!"

Sirius grimaced inwardly. _Well, you didn't really give me a chance!_ He tried to chase this thought from his mind, and with a weak smile and nod of thanks to James, he joined in a pillow fight that had just begun between Peter and Remus.

James watched him for a few moments before grabbing a pillow too. He felt guilty still, even though Sirius had silently assured him it was all right.

Neither Remus nor Peter seemed to notice that the pillow fight was rather half hearted tonight.

Sirius lay awake for well over a few hours that night, when everyone else had gone to sleep. He could hear Peter's snores from the other side of the room, and he assumed from the deep, even breathing he could hear, that the other two boys were asleep also.

He sighed and turned over.

Remus's words came floating back. _Every time I've seen you these past few weeks, you've had this pained, frustrated kinda look. _He clenched his fists. Of course he was going to seem that way every time Remus saw him. Remus would have to be around to see him feeling like that, and if Remus was around, Sirius would be feeling like that. It was a vicious cycle.

He smiled to himself as he remembered Remus saying that he was a bit of a spunk. That at least was heartening.

Valentine's Day was approaching too quickly for Sirius. He found himself the night before Valentine's Day just sitting on the floor in the Gryffindor common room, glaring moodily into the fire. He was angry with himself for still not having the courage to tell Remus his true feelings, and panicked because he didn't know whether or not he should have gotten something for Remus to add to the collection of anonymous crap he'd already sent.

Remus had looked kinda sad lately – well, if sad was the right word. He'd always been the quiet one of their group, silently stronger than people gave him credit for and always helping others. But lately he'd taken it to the extreme. He was starting to withdraw from the Marauders and bury himself in his schoolwork. On more than one occasion, Sirius had spotted him staring longingly out the window as though he was thinking about something that was beyond his hopes to achieve.

Sirius wondered what it was.

He hated seeing Remus like this. James and Peter had noticed the change as well, but no one knew how to approach Remus without seeming like they were trying to change or accuse him of anything. It was difficult for anyone to try, and so no one did. They left him to himself, which probably wasn't the best idea, but it seemed like the easiest and safest method. Letting him sort out his own troubles was usually what the Marauders did.

Sirius hated this unwritten rule. And he wished more than anything that Remus would give a hint at what was troubling him so he could try to help.

At that moment, a spark flew out and landed on the carpet in front of Sirius. He stared at it as it glowed brightly for a minute and then faded completely.

It brought his attention back to the problem at hand – Valentine's Day. What on earth was he going to do?

Glancing at his watch, he groaned. It was nearly midnight. He had only a few minutes to think of something, and then he would have to go to bed or else he would die in classes the next day.

He thought for a moment back to the night long ago when he'd watched Remus sleeping in the night. He'd been frowning, and he'd looked troubled and even a little sad that night. He scrunched up his face as he tried to remember how long ago that had been. Either way, it was a while, so Remus had been feeling disturbed inside for quite some time now. This made him feel both stupid and angry with himself. How could he not have noticed?

A thought came to mind as he sat there picking at the threads of the carpet. He sat perfectly still for a moment, thinking about how lame it was – but after all, he could suss out Remus's reaction first, and he needn't ever tell Remus that it had been him who'd sent it. The plan was getting better. But he prayed with all his heart that Remus did like it. After all, it was coming from Sirius's heart.

The morning came – far to early in Sirius's opinion. He groaned as he opened his eyes, greeted by the sight of James smirking at him through the curtains.

"What?" he growled. It was early, the sun was very bright, and Sirius was tired. He was not in the mood to find out what James was looking so gleeful about, nor why in fact James was up so early on a Saturday. James was usually a cheerful riser, but as term went on he began to enjoy sleeping in.

"Oh … nothing," James replied, examining his fingernails carelessly, though a hint of a smile still played about the corners of his mouth.

Sirius rolled his eyes and sat up, leaning back on his elbows as he glared at James. "Then why the hell are you grinning at me like that? What's going on?"

James took hold of the covers and wrenched them completely off the bed, leaving Sirius in shock for it was rather cold in the dormitory compared to his snug warm blankets.

"Holy shit! What are you doing, you bastard?" he yelped, rubbing his arms furiously to create some heat.

"Get up already," said James. "It's Valentine's Day, and unless I'm muchly mistaken, your ego is in need of a boost. Which is why we're going down to breakfast now. So come along."

Sirius closed his eyes and flopped back down onto the bed. "I don't care, James. I'm not getting any Valentine's this year, and I don't care to watch other people receive theirs."

James raised an eyebrow. "You don't even want to see the reaction of a certain person close to your heart?"

Sirius opened one eye to see James watching him. He grabbed his pillow and smothered his face in it. "No," he said, his unconvincing tone muffled and lost through the fabric and padding.

James rolled his eyes. "What did you end up doing, then?"

Sirius froze as he remembered and felt himself flush cold. Shit. He must have been really out of it last night. It was going to be so embarrassing if James saw what he'd sent and … oh, god. Sirius didn't want to think about it. Of course, he could always pretend that he'd not sent anything, but then he'd have to put up with James harping on about him being a wuss and telling him that he had to act fast because he obviously had competition.

So he said nothing.

James sighed. "Fine. But at least come down to breakfast with me. Lily's going to be there, and I don't think I can face her reaction alone. I need my best mate there. Let's go."

Sirius lay there, his resolve weakening. He knew James would do this sort of thing for him if the opportunity had ever come up, and besides, he was beginning to suffocate under the pillow. It was hot, the fluff was tickling his nose, and the oxygen supply was running low.

"Please?" James wheedled.

Sirius breathed out heavily and removed the pillow. "Fine," he grumbled.

James and Sirius entered the Hall together. It had taken so long for them to primp themselves that by the time they got there, the Hall was filled with almost every student Hogwarts had. And, Sirius noticed, the ghastly decorations that went up every year. The girls must have gotten up early to do some decorating, he realised, because nearly every teacher on the Head table looked as pained at the sight of them as Sirius and James felt.

There were pink paper hearts on every table, and where normally the sky was, pink hearts were flying about and occasionally dropping down onto the students below, causing frustration in the boys and giggling in the girls. Sirius and James looked at each other and exchanged a silent groan.

Sitting beside Peter, James asked, "Have the owls come yet?"

Remus grinned. "Don't worry, Prongs, Lily hasn't got it yet." He looked up and saw Sirius hesitating. "Come sit down, Padfoot." He patted the seat beside him invitingly.

Sirius took it, a forced smile lighting his features as he uncomfortably sat as far away from Remus as his chair would allow. James watched him with a knowing but emotionless face.

Sirius poured himself a glass of pumpkin juice and took a sip, trying to stop his hand from shaking so much. This was going to be bad. He hoped with all his heart that the owl he'd sent collided with the sun, or suddenly fell dead out of the sky on top of some old lady, or delivered it to someone on the other side of the world by accident. If anything, he really didn't want Remus to receive it in front of everyone.

A girlish shriek filled the Hall. Everyone looked up to see a flock of owls appearing through the thick pink hearts still fluttering about the ceiling. The owls seemed a bit bewildered, and many lost their navigation through the hearts, and for a few moments there was confusion while the Marauders snickered into their scrambled eggs.

Once the owls had sorted themselves out, the envelopes began to fall to the plates of their recipients. James had three dropped onto his plate, scattering sausage and egg everywhere, followed by another two that landed in his lap. Peter even had one that landed with a plop onto the table beside him. Sirius watched dejectedly as people excitedly tore open their envelopes, knowing fully well that he would receive nothing this Valentine's Day. But to his surprise, something landed on the table in front of him. He quickly reached his hand out to steady the envelope as it got dangerously close to falling into his greasy bacon, and looked at the name on the front.

It was his.

Someone had sent Sirius Black a Valentine.

He stared at it in shock for a moment, and looked over at Remus who was watching him with a smile.

"You look astounded," Remus observed. "You get Valentine's every year, what's the big surprise today?"

Sirius shrugged and slipped the envelope into his robe pocket. He'd open it later. He had just taken a forkful of egg to his mouth when a large envelope landed on his head, causing him to bite down hard on the fork and choke. Remus grabbed the envelope and looked at it.

"You got another one," he said to Sirius, who was wiping his mouth disgustedly and gulping pumpkin juice to stop himself coughing.

Sirius paused for a moment and then took the envelope. He couldn't fit it in his pocket, so he placed it beneath his plate. He quickly glanced over at James, who was engrossed in reading his own Valentine's.

Then he looked at Remus. To his surprise, there was nothing on the table in front of him. Sirius didn't know whether to say anything or not. Then he noticed something. Remus was holding an envelope.

Sirius gulped. That was his Valentine. The one he'd sent. What if Remus opened it now? What if he didn't? How would Sirius ever know if Remus liked it or not?

Wait a minute.

That envelope was pale pink, not white. And the letters were scrawled across in a sparkly pink pen. Sirius had never – NEVER – used a sparkly pink pen in his life. Nor was he ever intending to.

Someone else had sent Remus a Valentine.

Sirius was hardly surprised, but he felt a flush of jealousy and anger at the thought of someone else lusting over Remus. And with a sudden chill, he realised that Remus hadn't received his Valentine.

Suddenly, the thought of Remus not receiving it was worse than the thought of him getting it and thinking it was stupid. Particularly now that Sirius had competition.

He chanced a glance at Remus who was smiling happily. He was opening the envelope slowly and carefully, trying not to rip it. When he got the envelope open, he pulled out a single sheet of pink notepaper inside. As he read it, he blushed. Sirius was momentarily disturbed from his curiosity as he noticed once again just how handsome Remus looked when he was blushing.

"It's from – it's ," Remus stopped suddenly, and his face fell. He stuffed the letter roughly into his pocket and got up from the table.

"Where are you going?" asked Sirius, confused. "Who sent it?"

"No one," Remus said shortly. "I'm going for a walk."

Sirius watched as Remus left the Hall, his shoulders hunched and his pace quick as though he couldn't wait to be out of their sight.

Sirius stared at his plate of food. A tiny heart fell from the ceiling and planted itself in his eggs. It was staring up at him jeeringly, a reminder of the fact that while Sirius had gotten two Valentine's this year, he very strongly doubted that either of them was from the person he had sent one to. And on top of that, the Valentine he'd sent hadn't even gotten to its recipient. His heart sank slowly as he flicked the heart off and took a bite of food. He wasn't very hungry anymore.

**A/N:** Well, that was slightly longer than the last one. I hope it was a bit more eventful … I made a few extra twists that even I hadn't thought of previously. I wonder if anyone will guess what they are. Any guesses are welcome, perhaps someone will come up with something better than what I thought of!

Thanks to all the people who reviewed my last chapter. It was great to get your feedback, I really appreciate it. More reviews mean quicker update!

Ronin Daiymo: I'm saying it with you! Awwwwwww … there, happy:P kidding. Now. Glad you liked the 'almost there' part. There's another one in here just for you because you said you liked the last one. See, I'm thinking of you. :)

Grimy Grunhilda Grunt: No Lily in this chapter, so no gherkins this time! Did I make it suspenseful enough for you?

RoschLupin-Black: But if they all got together soon, then there would be no story! But yes, they will get together relatively soon. It's more than halfway through the school year now, anyway. :P

Coral: I'm glad you like the story, and I really am sorry that you don't like long stories with much suspense, but I'm afraid that yes, this story will probably take a while to resolve. The reason why it's focusing on Lily and James is because their story was a big part of the Marauders history, and its also meant to create some drama other than the whole Sirius's unrequited love for the while it takes to get further into seventh year. But I hope you enjoyed the story anyway!

Slow Story: Thank you for your review, you made me laugh. I'm sorry if you don't like this story, but no one forced you to read it. Thank you for your feedback, I will take it into account and cut back on Lily and James. Sorry to have caused so much grief and anger in you, I honestly hope you get over it.

Jamie: Okay! Okay! Okay:P hugz Jamie

Miss Anonymous Hp: I hope you slept well! Glad you're still reading, here's another chappie just for you. :)

Isis Fire Dancer: Yay! Someone who sympathises! I like you :P Yes, he shall confess before long. He almost did!

Lyth Taeraneth: Love your little action thing happening there! That was funny. :bows: your wish is my commander mas-s-ster :grins:

Not-yet-written: oh good! I'm glad you like it! Thank you so much for your review! I'll build up heaps of tension if you like :P

Nooka: Here's more for you! And I shall reveal all in due course. Promise. Hehehe. :P


	12. James vs Remus

Title: Delicate Treasures

Author: Stardrops

Genre: Romance

Rating: PG 13 (For slash and occasional swearing, precautions only)

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter. I do, however, own the plot. I am very proud. But the rest belongs to our creative genius, J K Rowling.

Chapter 12: James vs. Remus

After Remus had left, leaving the other Marauders in mystified confusion, another distraction caught them. On the other side of the table, Lily Evans had had a delivery. James sat up straight in his chair, rubbing his hands together and smirking expectantly.

Lily had just opened the seemingly innocent white envelope, and was about to take out the card inside out and read it, but the pink, heart-shaped card apparently had become impatient with her, because it fluttered out by itself and hovered above her head. It opened its flaps and, to Lily's horror, began to sing in a high pitched, off key voice.

_For someone who is as beautiful as you_

_There aren't enough words to descri – _

It was cut off then by Lily reaching up hastily and grabbing it out of the air, slamming it down on the table and holding it shut beneath her plate, which she weighted with a full jug of pumpkin juice.

Peter and Sirius smirked at each other while James beamed at Lily. She had gone a brilliant red, sunk down in her seat and was glaring with all her might at the Marauders as though it might somehow drain the life from all three of them.

"I thought you were trying to romance the girl," Sirius chuckled, half choking on a slice of toast.

James shrugged and looked slightly puzzled. "That was romantic, wasn't it?"

Peter and Sirius snickered into their breakfasts.

&&&

Sirius sat alone by the lake, underneath his favourite tree. It had become a favourite location for him this year. All around him in the late afternoon air, couples were walking hand in hand, occasionally kissing or stopping for a cuddle on the shores of the lake. Everyone was happy and in love. Sirius was in love – but far from being happy. He sighed. Well – there was one consolation. There was no way this day could get any worse.

Remus had avoided all the Marauders all day, claiming to have a headache and skipping the first two periods. After that, he'd sat with them but claimed to need to pay attention with the scary prospect of failing his N.E.W.T.'s. All three Marauders knew this was just a façade, but left him alone as he'd wished. Remus was bound to tell them what was bothering him eventually.

Sirius pondered Remus's reaction at breakfast. He'd been very secretive about the person who'd sent the Valentine. He'd looked pleased up til the point where he'd seen the name. What could have drawn such a reaction?

His heart froze for a moment as he remembered James's words to him this morning. "_Don't you even want to see the reaction of a certain person close to your heart?" _James couldn't have – James _wouldn't_ have … surely not?

Even as he thought this to himself, he hated himself for not trusting his best friend. James would never go out of his way to cause trouble in Sirius's love life, and particularly not this time because he was well aware how much Remus meant to Sirius and that Sirius wanted to break the news to Remus in his own way. He wouldn't interfere. He wouldn't send a Valentine pretending to be Sirius. Would he?

Even as he hated to admit it, the possibility was definitely there.

He blinked furiously a few times, and as his eyes adjusted, he caught sight of a familiar form standing by the lake not more than a few metres away from him. It was Remus, standing alone. He was frowning and looked more thoughtful that Sirius remembered seeing him for quite some time.

Gathering his courage, Sirius rose and walked slowly towards him. He had to know who had sent the Valentine.

"H – hey," he said nervously. Remus whirled around, his eyes wide and frightened. He relaxed when he saw it was Sirius.

"Oh, hey, Padfoot," he replied. "What's happening?"

Sirius swallowed. "What's been up with you all day? You've been secretive as hell about that Valentine."

Remus visibly tensed and shrugged. "It's just a note from someone. It's nothing special." Sirius couldn't help but notice that Remus's cheeks had turned a shade of pink he hadn't often seen in nature.

"Who sent it?" he asked.

"You know what?" Remus snapped. "It's really none of your bloody business who sent me a Valentine. I didn't ask you who sent you yours."

Sirius took a step back, recoiling. He hadn't expected Remus – cool, calm Remus – to get so worked up over something like this. It rather startled him.

"Whoa. I'm sorry, man. I didn't realise it was such a big deal to you." Sirius turned and began to walk towards the castle, all the way kicking himself inwardly and wishing to God that he'd had the brains to think of a better way of asking than the stupid way he had which had pissed off Remus. "I'll see you at dinner, I guess," he called over his shoulder to his solitary friend.

"No, wait," Remus said. Sirius looked back at him. "I'm sorry, mate, I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just – I don't know how to cope with this."

Sirius's eyes widened and his mouth seemed suddenly really dry. _Oh god, _he thought. _It was James. He did send a Valentine from me. And now Remus is angry and upset because he doesn't know how to cope with me being homosexual and liking him. I am going to KILL James Potter. I'll kill him slowly and very, VERY painfully._

"It was – well, it was from …" Remus faltered. Sirius braced himself, ready to hear his name.

"I don't know how he's ever going to forgive me for this," Remus blurted out, his eyes downcast and sad. Sirius's heart dropped. Remus was going to reject his Valentine. He knew it. It was a lost case.

"I swear I never flirted with her. Or at least – not purposely. I thought we were just good friends," Remus said desperately, seeming to be craving understanding from Sirius. Sirius's mind was otherwise engaged though. _She? Wait – that can't be me. So what has anyone else got to do with this then?_

"Remus, just get it over and done with. Who sent it to you?" Sirius asked, unsure if he wanted to know the answer to this.

"Before I tell you, you have to promise that you understand that I never intended anything more than a friendship by having a friendship with her. I thought it was a strictly Prefect – Prefect thing last year, and this year I thought it was just a work and a mates thing. But apparently – well – I don't know…"

Remus looked so wretched that Sirius wanted to reach out and hug him. Instead, he grabbed Remus's shoulder and forced him to look up. "I promise not to think any worse of you for being sought after by a girl," Sirius joked.

"Oh Sirius, I don't have a clue what to do." Remus looked like he was about to collapse into a heap where he was standing, his face was pale and he was practically oozing tension. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it. Sirius turned to see what he'd focused his attention on, and saw James. He was running towards Lily who was standing with two of her friends.

Sirius laughed when he saw James standing in front of Lily, who was obviously very displeased. He was holding his arms out to the side as if to say, 'What!' There was a heated discussion happening, but Sirius had been sidetracked. He turned and stared at Remus's miserable face.

"No way," Sirius said slowly.

Remus just looked down at the ground, offering no defence.

Sirius's mouth dropped open. "Oh, no. No, no, no. Are you serious?"

Remus nodded.

Sirius half laughed, half gasped. This was bad. This was really, really bad. Oh, there was going to be fireworks tonight.

He half smirked as he realised how wrong he had been. This day had just gotten much, much worse.

&&&

After coaxing Remus to leave the lake after more than an hour, Sirius watched him edge anxiously towards the door of the dormitory. He could almost hear in his mind the excuses Remus was going to make to exit the conversation.

James and Peter were arguing over the effect James's singing Valentine had had upon Lily. James was irritated with all three of the boys because they hadn't given him strict enough guidelines when telling him to romance Lily. It was often better to let James let off his steam first, even if it meant being blamed for something stupid James had done.

James broke into a smile. "She did look pretty horrified, didn't she?"

Sirius and Peter snorted. "That's an understatement," said Peter.

Remus hadn't been there, obviously, so although he'd been filled in on all the gossip, he couldn't imagine Lily's face. And quite frankly, she was really the last person he wanted to talk about.

Thankfully, the subject changed. James turned to Sirius. "So, who sent you those two Valentines?"

Sirius blushed slightly and looked down, hiding his face with his long hair. "I … haven't opened them yet," he mumbled. James frowned at him.

"What do you mean, you haven't opened them yet? Have you suddenly gotten all shy on us?"

Sirius shrugged and looked up. "I'll open them later. It's not that important to me."

James rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He flicked his gaze to Remus. "What about you? You seemed really touchy after getting that one that you got. Who sent it to you?"

Remus immediately flushed. "Oh, no one important. I'm pretty sure it was just a joke anyway. It's nothing, honestly."

James smirked. "All right then, if it's nothing important, you can show it to us. I wanna know who fancies our precious little Remmie." He winked at Sirius, though he knew from passing notes in their History of Magic class that the Valentine hadn't been from Sirius.

Remus looked desperately at Sirius who shrugged helplessly back. "Uh – I'd really rather…"

"Oh, come on!" Peter urged him. "Otherwise we'll just go through all your stuff to find it."

"If it was nothing, and you've got nothing to hide, why won't you show us?" teased James. "I think there's more to this than you're letting on, Moony."

Remus breathed out and said weakly, "I haven't got anything to hide, and there's nothing more to it than I'm letting on. I'd just rather keep these things to myself."

"Pathetic excuse, Moony," said Peter. "Right, where's your trunk? I'm searching for it."

At that moment, both Remus and James looked to Remus's bedside table where the pink notepaper lay. James's eyes lit up when he saw it. Remus's however simply widened with terror. They both lunged for it at the same time, but to Remus's dismay, James got there first. Remus made a futile snatch and missed. James rolled over onto the other side of the bed and landed on his feet on the floor, clutching the note victoriously.

He cleared his throat, opened the paper and held it out in front of him like a scroll. He then opened his mouth to read it aloud, but Remus dived over the bed and crashed into him, snatching part of the letter and tearing the piece into two parts – the one James held was much smaller to his relief.

But then, to his immense discomfort and panic, James had the end of the letter with the writer's name.

James ran across to the bathroom and slammed the door shut, locking it with his wand. "Ha!" he yelled. There was chortling from the bathroom as James regained his breathing from the exertion. A silence fell while he paused – presumably reading the letter, and then nothing. Sirius and Peter waited with bated breath to hear what James's reaction to whatever was written there – Sirius knowing and Peter not. Remus hung his head and slid down the wall, defeated.

The silence seemed to stretch out for eternity. Then the bathroom door opened, and James came out, his face blank and his fingers holding the letter as though it were dirty.

"What is this?" he asked in disgust.

Remus cringed. "It's the note I was sent this morning. I'm sure it was a joke though, and I promise you that she doesn't mean anything that was…"

But James wasn't listening anymore. James was incensed.

"What the hell does this mean?" he yelled. "You've been making moves on her, haven't you? Behind the back of one of your mates – you are a low life scum, Remus Lupin."

"No – honestly!"

James's face had turned an interesting shade of crimson, and his eyes were narrowed with a mixture of hurt, disappointment and rage. "You knew I liked Lily, you bastard."

Peter was taken aback. "Whoa. That note was from Lily?" He whistled softly, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Yes, it was. From Lily Evans, the same girl I have been trying to romance repeatedly for as long as I can think of! She is the only girl I've ever really been serious about, and you went and made a move on her. I can't believe this!"

Remus protested weakly, "I never did anything to encourage her, I swear! Believe me, I'm your friend!"

James threw the remainder of the letter at Remus's head. It fluttered a little in the air and landed at James's feet, having travelled approximately three centimetres in the desired direction. James stomped on the note and then turned to leave the room. He paused in the doorway. "Friend, Lupin? I think not. Not anymore."

He slammed the door, leaving a very hollow silence and three shaken Marauders behind him.

TBC

**A/N:** Well, I know this was short, only really four pages, but it is better than nothing. I wanted to put something up because it's been a while and I know how frustrated I get when people don't update for really long times. So here's a little bit and more will come, but it will be slow because I have to do lotsa school stuff too.

Thank you so much to EVERYONE who reviewed. You are all incredible, wonderful beings. This update is for all of you, because you gave such wonderful feedback. Don't keep your reviews from me! Let me have it: P

**Ronin Daiymo**: Sorry, I said I'd send you the chapter, but you weren't online when I finished it and I wanted to put it up today. Hope you liked it … it isn't what you guessed! Hehehe!

**RoschLupin-Black**: Is the angst alert still going haywire? Poor Remus. The things I do to him.

**Grimy Grunhilda Grunt: **Remus is even more morose now, and Sirius will be too because he's sad that Remus is in trouble. What a tangled, tangled world. :D

**Miss Anonymous Hp: **Is this even worse than the Valentine not being delivered? I thought it was…it wasn't initially what I was going to do but I though, hey, why not? It was me in a bad mood pretty much. Remus just got in the way. Poor boy. I do feel sorry for him. :P

**Carpe-nox-sulum-nox:** No! Not the bunnies! Anything but the bunnies! Thank you so much, darling, you boost my ego wonderfully. :D

**ILoveMoony04: **Welcome back, friend! I'll have to read your Remus/Sirius fic, I'll do that right after this. Promise!

**KCEstel: **It was your review that made me change what was going to happen. You guessed exactly what I was thinking, and I was like noooooo! It has to be something completely surprising! So I changed it. You're a smart cookie! Hugs to you!

**LythTaeraneth: **Of course he'll feel the same way. Let me know how it went! Are you in the sizzling pits of a passionate romance? Or is he a dead beat?

**SirilovesRemi: **I will definitely see this one through to the very end. I like writing stories that other people like, it makes me feel happy to do something that other people enjoy reading. So continue to read, and let me know how it goes, okay? Hugs!

**Siriuslydelusional: **Thank you:D It has gone kinda angsty now…but I'll get it fluffified soon for you!

**IsisFireDancer: **I didn't say how soon, though, so maybe not for a while … but I don't think it will be able to drag out much longer. Sirius is sooooooo in lerve … damn Remus is lucky:P

**Waffle Avenger: **I'm glad nothing needs improving, and even more glad that you enjoy reading. Keep reviewing, you're keeping the story alive!

**Fraust fairy:** Well, here's something to take the focus off Sirius and Lily and put it more on Remus and James. I'm looking forward to writing the next chapter! Hope you enjoyed reading this one!

**Nessa: **Glad you enjoyed, hope this was up to your standards!

**Jenny C:** Well, if you say so, then I guess I can't! I live to serve! Here's another chapter for you. Hope you like!

XXOO to all of you!


	13. Opening More Valentines

Title: Delicate Treasures

Author: Stardrops

Genre: Romance

Rating: PG 13 (For slash and occasional swearing, precautions only)

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter. I do, however, own the plot. I am very proud. But the rest belongs to our creative genius, J K Rowling.

Chapter 13: Opening More Valentines

Sirius sat on his bed with the curtains pulled around him. It had been a very awkward night. James hadn't returned to their dormitory yet, and Remus had silently slipped out of the dormitory after James had left. Neither Peter nor Sirius tried to stop him. They sensed he would rather be alone.

This was not really the best day that Sirius had seen. He wished more than anything else that his Valentine had reached Remus. Even though it was sappy and fluffy and girly – all the things that Sirius tried to avoid being – it wouldn't hurt his reputation or ego unless Remus found out who'd sent it. And it was anonymous, so the chances of that were slim.

His own eyes fell on his pillow. He'd hastily shoved the Valentines he'd received that morning at breakfast beneath his pillow and forgotten about them til this moment. Shrugging, he took them out. He had nothing better to do for the time being, he might as well see who had sent him what this year.

The larger of the two envelopes was grey and lightly marbled. The paper was quite pretty, and Sirius admired it for a moment before carefully running his wand along the length of the seal and magically opening the envelope without destroying it. Inside was a rose petal, slightly wrinkled from being stuck inside an envelope all day. He looked at it quizzically for a second, confused at the lack of card or note inside, but then picked up the petal to pull it out.

The petal began to sparkle, and to his surprise, expanded into a rose. This then expanded into a second rose. It continued to multiply before Sirius's eyes until his lap was covered with red roses. He watched, horrified, as the multiplying roses showed no signs of slowing or stopping. His bed was covered, and he was beginning to choke on petals that were flying around. He couldn't see his wand anywhere; the entire bed was hidden. By the time he realised he needed to call out for help, the situation had worsened. The thorny stems had pushed him back to lie on the bed where he was slowly suffocating beneath a pile of ever expanding roses. He struggled to brush them off, but the more he moved, the faster they seemed to multiply, so he simply lay there and tried to call for assistance.

"_Help!" _he cried, his words muffled by the petals that were drowning him. "HELP!"

The sound of low voices murmuring solemnly met his ears. He wished he hadn't closed the curtains now. Someone was coming up the staircase to the boys' dormitory. He bellowed out at the top of his lungs. It was quite loud, he noted to his satisfaction. They had to have heard it.

Sure enough, the voices ceased their whispered conversation and the door creaked open. There was nothing for a moment, but the sound of tentative footsteps began towards Sirius. The curtains were pulled hesitantly open and immediately light began to flood the small space in which Sirius was crammed as the petals showered out onto the carpet. Two faces peered curiously over Sirius and brushed away the petals on his face. Sirius blinked and saw Remus and Peter looking at him as though he was crazy.

It didn't last long. One long look at the anguished expression on Sirius's face, and both the other Marauders were off in gales of laughter. Sirius's eyes narrowed angrily.

"Come on, a little help here!" he bellowed.

Remus took pity on him, and choked out a spell to stop the charm. "_Finite Incantatem_!" His eyes were watering from laughter, increasing as he watched Sirius splutter and wriggle out from beneath the now still petals and roses. The dark haired boy was red faced and furious.

"What on earth were you doing, Padfoot?" Peter asked, a grin still around the corner of his mouth.

Sirius glared at him. "I opened a Valentine and this attacked me." He gestured towards the petal he was still holding that had begun the mischief. The envelope lay somewhere beneath the carpet of red. Remus used his wand to banish the roses and petals, leaving Sirius's wand and the envelope lying innocently there.

Sirius snarled and crumpled the envelope. "What kind of a person sends a Valentine that tries to murder the recipient?"

"You're obviously not very popular, Sirius," Peter said with a completely straight face, holding it only for a moment before dissolving once more into giggles.

&&&

Sirius's bad encounter with the first Valentine had discouraged him from opening his second. It was difficult enough to fight the gloom that settled over him at the realisation that the chances of either of them being from Remus were slim – now he had to cope with the taunts from the three Marauders. Peter had told James as soon as they'd seen him next while Sirius turned beetroot red and glared and Remus shuffled his feet nervously.

James had seemed vaguely amused at the image of Sirius drowning beneath a bed of roses, but had been looking mostly in the direction of Remus. He had then asked if Remus would go for a walk with him to sort out their fight, which Remus had of course agreed to, nervous as he looked and felt.

Sirius looked out the window of the dormitory. He was sure that he could see shadows moving, equally certain that they were James and Remus returning from a walk, but when he blinked and looked in the direction he'd first been staring again, he realised that it was his imagination.

Looking at the clock on the wall, he groaned. They'd only been gone ten minutes.

The suspense was driving him insane.

&&&

Remus had scarcely been able to walk at all when James had summoned him for a walk. It was a terrifying thought to be alone with the angry boy. It was true – James's temperament in general was laid back and gentle, but when someone crossed him as badly as he obviously thought Remus had, he was really rather intimidating.

"Look, Prongs," Remus started desperately as soon as they were out of earshot of any listeners. "I know you think that I've been hitting on Lily behind your back, but I swear…"

James was shaking his head as Remus's words trailed off in confusion. He smiled at Remus and took a deep breath. "Mate, I know that you wouldn't ever try to hit on Lily. You're just good friends. I guess she just took the signals wrong."

Remus could hardly believe his luck. James was usually quite understanding, but this was unexpectedly soon.

"So – so we're cool, then?" he asked.

James grinned and held out his hand. "Here's to never letting any girl come between us again, okay, mate?"

Remus returned the smile, relieved and genuinely happy once more. "James, it has to be said that you are one of the most adaptable creatures ever. We could leave you in Greenland in a bathing suit, and I bet that we'd come back and find you swimming in the ocean telling us to come in."

James raised an eyebrow quizzically. "But isn't it kind of cold in Greenland?"

Remus opened his mouth to speak and shut it. He wasn't in the mood to discuss Greenland. He wasn't in the mood for anything but a good laugh with the other Marauders and possibly a chess tournament.

James seemed to have the same idea.

&&&

Sirius heard footsteps outside the dormitory and whirled around as the door opened. His heart leapt into his throat as he saw James enter, followed by Remus. To his surprise, they were both smiling and chuckling at some joke James had just finished telling.

Peter looked up from his book and threw a puzzled look at Sirius. Turning down a corner of the page, he cleared his throat and settled in his chair to look at the three of them standing there.

"So," he said simply.

Remus and James stood slightly awkwardly, only too aware of the tension that still lingered in here. The fight between the two of them may have dissipated, but the problem of Lily liking the wrong bloke remained.

Remus frowned to himself. Why on earth would Lily like him? He'd never given her any reason to like him, and she hadn't ever hinted to him that she thought of him in that sort of light. Perhaps it was a joke or something. It was far-fetched, but plausible. Maybe it was an attempt to make James back off or something. He shook his head and looked at Sirius, who was shifting from one foot to the other.

James broke the silence. "Chess, anyone?"

&&&

An hour later, the day was getting very old, but the Marauders were back to their cheerful group. They had melted the ice around them and were now discussing what Remus was going to have to do now, seeing that Lily liked him and he didn't particularly fancy her.

James still looked slightly dejected during the conversation, but he laughed at the jokes and offered his own opinions and advice freely. Sirius felt very sorry for him. He'd longed for Lily's affections since who knows when, and when Lily did finally fancy one of them, it was the wrong Marauder.

He looked over at Remus, who was smiling grimly at Peter as they discussed whether it might have been a joke.

Since revealing who the admirer was, Remus had had the sort of attitude towards it that oozed surprise and disbelief. Deep down; Remus was quite insecure about the whole business. When you stripped back the layers of Remus that were tough and acted like it was unnecessary to receive the affections of anyone else, there was a soft spot inside. He hid behind the books and schoolwork that he mastered and tried to prove to himself that even though he had an interesting monthly 'habit', he was still worthy of something.

Sometimes it was really hard for him to do.

Remus knew that if Lily knew about him being a werewolf, she wouldn't like him that way anymore. Their relationship would be platonic solely. While that wasn't a problem with him as far as Lily was concerned, because he didn't want anything but platonic friendship with her, he knew the same reaction would come from anyone else that he fancied. People that he liked weren't likely to be seduced by the fangs and shaggy coat of a wild beast. And while it was sad, it was true, and he had to live with it for the rest of his life.

&&&

It was dark inside the dormitory, and the other three boys appeared to be asleep. Remus sat up in his bed and lit his wand, hiding the bright light beneath the bedspread. His curtains were drawn around him, but he didn't want to risk anyone realising that he was awake and trying to start another conversation. Normally he enjoyed talking to the Marauders about anything and everything until there was nothing left to say, but on the subject of Lily Evans, he really had had enough.

He lifted his pillow and the small beam of light that escaped from under the covers of the bed illuminated a parchment envelope, creamy and soft against the crisp sheets. He hadn't shown nor told the Marauders about this letter, in fact, he hadn't yet opened it. But he couldn't resist the temptation any longer, and with growing curiosity, he eased open the seal on the back and lifted the flaps to see what was inside.

A single sheet of parchment was there, a beautiful flowing script written upon it. He eagerly scanned the words, but they made hardly any sense to him.

_Sometimes what you see is less than what it actually is – but just because something isn't obvious doesn't mean that it isn't there. Happy Valentine's Day._

Remus's frown deepened. What the hell were they talking about? Carefully opening a drawer on the side of his four poster bed, he slipped out the little box where he kept anything that was special to him. Inside was the other letter he'd gotten at Christmas. He half-heartedly turned it over and skimmed the paper, but it was still blank. The two times he'd received letters from anonymous people had seen him receive a blank sheet of paper and one that garbled something he didn't understand.

His stomach was cold with disappointment as he shut the drawer and muttered the charm to turn out the light on his wand. Lying there, he watched the ceiling through sad eyes, not admiring the swirling shadows of snowflakes for once but viewing the world through a shaky, watery mist as his eyes filled with tears. He wiped them away in disgust and chuckled quietly, shaking his head at himself. His chuckle soon turned into a soft sob and he succumbed to tears at last. Trying his best to keep quiet, he buried his head in his pillow and wept til he fell asleep.

Only a few metres away, another boy was lying awake. He too had tears in his eyes, but they were the tears of one who feels another's pain as his own. Sirius could hear Remus crying, quiet as he was attempting to be, and his heart gave a huge wrench in his chest. It seemed an age until the sobs slowed and then slipped into even breaths of sleep, but Sirius waited until he was certain Remus was asleep and then slipped out of his own bed.

The room was colder than usual. Sirius shivered, but continued. He pulled back the curtains to Remus's bed and gently ran his fingers over the tear tracks that ran every which way across Remus's face. Using his forefinger, he wiped away any water that remained and smoothed back the sandy hair that flopped over Remus's forehead. He gently placed a kiss on Remus's cheek and pulled the covers further up over Remus's body, tucking him in closer.

Climbing back into his own bed, he wrapped his arms around himself and shivered. His insides were cold as well, and they wouldn't warm again until he could see Remus smile.

His head slipped further into the dent in his pillow and he fell into troubled dreams.

&&&

**A/N: **That was pretty sad, wasn't it? Remus is such a sweet character. I really do think that this is how he'd be feeling about female's reactions to his being a werewolf, so if you're complaining that you don't think his character would be reacting like that, I apologise, but that really is the way I see it happening in my head.

And now you know what to do. Please review! Thanks go out to everyone who reviewed the last chapter.

**Ronin Daiymo**: I'm sure you saw that coming. Uh huh.

**KCEstel**: Well, he didn't have to beg because Remus already knew how hurt James was that Lily would pick Remus over him when he was so obviously devoted to her. Oooh, I like that line. Anyway, they made up, so we can all cheer. Hurrah!

**Nessa: **Yeah, I didn't exactly hurry with this update, did I? … Well, here it is, better late than never! Thanks heaps for liking it:P

**Goldfish682**: Well, he opened one. We don't know who it's from. Yet. I don't know if that is significant yet or not, I may make my mind up soon. We'll find out what the other one is soon, too! And believe me, that one is significant:D

**Jenny C:** Sorry to have kept you waiting! Here you go!

**FangQueen13**: Patience my dear, patience.

**LythTaeraneth:** Well, some development must have taken place! Update on the situation, please?

**Waffle Avenger:** Nice long review! Thanks:D Yeah James will get the hang of it eventually, I'm sure. But at least he got over his fight with Remus.

**Bitter Black Tears: **Oh, you'll probably find out eventually. They will be quite relevant to the story actually. And yeah, James is a bit of a moody bugger, hey?

**ILoveMoony04: **Wow! I'm pleasing readers without even realising it! Lol It was the most random thing to put in there, so I was like yeah what the hell.

**Ozumas girl: **Calm down, dear! Everything will work itself out. Breathe! In … out. Good on you. Now, relax, see? Remus and James worked it out! Yay!

**Nooka**: Only time will tell. :P Thanks for the review!

**Stuck in a tree**: Yeah, Lily is just getting in the way, isn't she! Sorry the update took a while.

**IsisFireDancer: **I'd comfort either of them too! There may be many opportunities ahead for you to do exactly that too … depending on how miserable I want to make them. Excellent. Mwahahahahahaha!

**Grimy Grunhilda Grunt: **Valentine's Day is rarely a perfect event. The only times I've ever enjoyed a Valentine's Day have been when I've been single and just enjoying them with my friends. Expectations of romance on Valentine's Day suck. They're always too high. And if my Valentine's Day can't be perfect, neither can theirs:P But at least they may have a happy ending. If I decide to let them …

**Miss Anonymous HP: **Damn. Snape would have been a good twist too. I'll keep that in mind for a twist later on. Good idea:P I'll try to work that in somewhere, but judging by the plans I've got for upcoming chapters, it might be a little difficult. Hmm.

**Ickle Ronnie: **Thanks for coming up for a review! It's lovely to know that you like my fic :) You've been with me riiiiight from the beginning. You go, you:D

**RoschLupinBlack: **Oops! Sorry about you having to disconnect it! Well, Remmie has to have some bad things happen if he's going to be a hero in the end. And he will be dammit! Even if he doesn't get with Sirius. He will still be a hero!

**Coolchicky: **Thanks heaps babe! Hope you continue to like!

**Warriorbride: **I took pity on all three of you, and made everything turn out okayish. Hope this is still up to your standards!

**Elf Maiden-Penial: **Thanks for all your reviews! I was very flattered that you reviewed nearly every chapter! And I'm so glad that you liked it. :)

Review Please!


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